


Danganronpa Ronpa Trigger Happy Havoc : Realist Edition

by phildoug8



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Kissing, Realistic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:14:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 103,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23120821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phildoug8/pseuds/phildoug8
Summary: What if the first episode of Danganronpa was rewritten without plot hole,with more realism,without an omniscient Junko and with a smart Makoto? Guess you will have to read this fic to find out. The part you already know are mostly changed or skipped for a minimal amount of boring.22/09/20:Partial rewriting to correct errors, make certain passages more understandable and remove inconsistencies.
Relationships: Maizono Sayaka/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my native tongue,don't hesitate to write my mistakes in the comment section. Comments and criticism are appreciated.

Makoto Naegi was a typical school student. If you asked him what his favorite activity was, what kind of music he liked or what word he would use to describe himself, the answers would with little doubts be average, predictable and boring. As as matter of fact, for the last question, the answer would literally be a mix of theses three words, separated by some assemblage of letter, like a buffer for mediocrity.

  
  


At the very least, that’s what Makoto would say if he were the narrator. I know it, because I’m the narrator. And because at the current time, Makoto was sulking.

He was sulking because his letter of approval for the prestigious Hope’s Peak Academy has been rejected. This world-famed elite organization was seeking the best of the best in order to help them reach even greater heights. While one could apply for it by its own initiative, most students were scouted by the academy itself, for the number of unfit candidates were far greater than the number of worthwhile ones, and because ultimate students were usually hard to miss.

  
  


In addition, in Makoto case, he would be rejected instantly due to his complete lack of any defining skill. No, the reason for which Makoto has been selected was an annual lottery, organized by the academy in order to find the Ultimate Lucky Student (or in their word, the “Super High School Level Luck Student”, but this appellation was unanimously considered stupid and rarely used outside official papers).

  
  


He was usually pretty unlucky, so when he learned he was the one who won, he couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t too good to be true. A thought that was soon confirmed by the announcement that winning at a lottery wasn’t, in fact, a proof that you were lucky, just that you got lucky, and as such couldn’t possibly allow you to be considered the best in your domain.

Makoto sighed.

  
  


“I guess I shouldn’t be too disappointed. It was a pretty stupid way to choose, and I probably wouldn’t fit very well in an academy with peoples so much more talented than me.“

Such absurd decisions were even more commonplace some times ago. When only scouted students were accepted, the academy would miss a lot of talented students simply because their skills weren’t flashy enough, despite the preposterous amount of money spent on scouting.

  
  


The teaching, too, was inefficient. The students, who could only enter if they were already the firsts in their category, were provided nothing but resources and teachers who were, if sympathetic, much more focused on their well being and friend circle than their capacity and simply weren’t as skilled as their students.

  
  


Now the policy has changed: adults more skilled in their domains were teaching them and less skilled, but still extremely good students were coming to exchange, instruct and learn from the Ultimate. More weight was put on autonomy and motivation, and the student who were leavings school kept a lot of contact with them for opportunities to use their talents, improve them and transmit them.

  
  


Komaru Naegi, his little sister, as well as his parents tried to comfort him.

While it sure was disappointing, Makoto wasn’t the type of person with a strong sense of entitlement or possessiveness.

Only the surface of his mind and as small, deep part of his hearth was still affected by his situation.

He sighed.

  
  


His gaze fell upon the Sayaka Maizono poster. He appreciated the idol a lot, and while his sister liked her even more, he was once in the same school as her, though he didn’t dare approach her too much.

…

It was a near certainty that she was going to be admitted; she was one of the few ultimate that was being examined for admission this year, and with her status of most known Idol, her acceptation would just be a formality.

  
  


If there was no change in plan, he could have spent two year in the same class as her.

Embarrassment, anticipation as well as a mix of regret and light resignation coursed trough his hearth.

“I will to go outside to change my mind. “, he mumbled to himself.

Putting on his maroon-green hoodie and an open black jacket with yellow buttons over it, he walked down the stairs, and opened the door, his red-white sneakers on his foots.

  
  


Despite his distracted states, he remarked that the mail box was currently indicating that a new letter was recently deposed. His eyebrows slightly raised, he opened and fetched the mail inside.

A letter; with a familiar symbol on it.

Upon reading its content, Makoto’s eyes widened.

  
  


XXX

“Good luck, Makoto !And don’t forget to contact us regularly! ”“I’m proud of you. Work hard and make the most out of this.”

“I hope you will enjoy it, Makoto! Please, if anything happen with Sayaka,you will tell me,right? If you can get me an autograph, I will wash the dishes for you an entire month!”

Makoto was saying goodbye to his parents and sister, the last one currently hugging him and the father rubbing his head.

Makoto could barely believe his luck. Just when he was ready to give up on Hope’s Peak, he was randomly selected to be the standard citizen who could see how the academy treated its students, in order to make the school seem more open and less elitist.

On the train for his destination, he grinned a little thinking to the amazing peoples he was going to see. He wondered if Sayaka knew they were in the same school before? No, probably not.

But wait… since all the Ultimates were going to teach him a little of their talent, he would probably learn from Sayaka, too! Komaru was going to be very jealous…and very happy.

His mind filed with images of Komaru overacting,and a thin smile on his lips, his eyes slowly begun to close…

XXX

My arms were pressed against a hard surface, the sensation of my jacket’s sleeve soft on my cheek, a cold sensation on my neck.

Awaking rapidly, I reopened my eyes and checked my surrounding, confused. I was in a classroom, on a wooden desk. What happened?

What am I doing here?The last thing I remembered was…!

I was finally arrived at Hope’s Peak, but...what happened after? I tried to remember, but the more I distanced myself from my last clear memories, the least I recalled. Did I already met the Ultimates? My focus broke when gave attention to the cold sensation and put my hand on a steel collar. Impossible to remove it. I remarked ...metal plates(?!) on the windows, as well as a sheet with text and a strange ,colored drawing. It seemed like it was supposed to be a pamphlet, but it was so messy that I didn’t figure it out immediately.

“Hey there new kid. The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world!”

It was hand made. Raising my gaze, I spotted a camera. This did nothing to reassure me. A strange feeling manifested itself, at the periphery of my consciousness, like something was pressed at the back of my brain, its tendrils piercing it. Standing up, I walked out of the room, into a lit corridor. The hallways was empty. I began to walk ,calming myself a little, and heard faint voices. For some reason, it made me a little more calm and made me focus more on the incoming events than my situation in itself. Advancing in this direction, I stopped in front of an open door. The discussion stopped. Inside, in front of a massive wooden door, were the individuals I made myself familiar with through online research and forums reading: the Ultimate Students.

“Whoa,hey!Another new kid?”

XXX

“ _I’m Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you !“_

“ _I’m Kyotaka Ishimaru. I believe in bold simplicity ! Let’s work together on our educational crusade!”_

“ _Hi!My name is Junko Enoshima. Charmed,I’m sure!”_

“ _My name is...Kyoko Kirigiri.”_

“ _So what Ultimate something are you?”_

“ _...”_

“ _Why should I tell you?”_

_We all already know what happen here. The students introduce themselves. Personalities are unveiled. A mocking voice resonates. A meeting is called for. The killing game begin. Who would be surprised when the headmaster is revealed? When the deadly rules are spoken? When a teddy bear, explode? Our heroes, surely. But not you. And certainly not me._

_Of course, were my descriptions more precise, some details may raise the eyebrows of the attentive reader. Perhaps stop him a second or two in his reading, even make his head nod a little in understanding or narrow his eyes in confusion . But for now, the story, as well as the killing game, shall continue its course._

_What does the “Normal Student” think about this story?_


	2. Chapter 2

I could barely understand what was happening. How it could happen. They were Ultimates Students. I was a normal person. Why was a mechanical teddy bear telling them to choose between murder and a life of imprisonment? A voice cut trough the silence and tension.

“We should explore the building. ”Kyoko Kirigiri continued .”We may find an exit or information. I believe we should split up.”It make sense, but… what if...“Considering our current predicament, such a thing may be considered reckless, yes?” riposted Celeste.

“I think we should make groups of four or more. It’s not like we are short on time, and even if I don’t think any of us would, uh… we still need to be prudent.”

“...Two should be enough” replied Kyoko. “As long as no one stay alone”.

Byakuya looked like he wasn’t pleased by this but seemed to agree that it was better since he didn’t want to be murdered or accused of murder.

I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I didn’t want to argue and being by group of two would leave no doubt on the identity of the culprit if a murder occurred.

“Work for me! Come on, let’s find out an exit” exclaimed Aoi .

“Allow me to accompany thou” said Sakura with a deep voice.

“Hey,can I go with you Sayaka?”

“Ah,it would be my pleasure, Leon, but...I have something to ask to Makoto, so it will have to wait,i’m afraid.”

She wanted to...ah yes, she was going to ask me a question when we presented ourselves. I wonder what this is about. Regardless, I’m happy about it.

But I don’t think we will find any exit or useful tools… the headmaster as too much control over the situation to be that careless.

xxx

Like expected, nothing really useful was found, except that there were no camera in the bathhouse.

But I felt like it was a trap. A little steam wouldn’t be sufficient to prevent a person with that much resource from monitoring the place.

I looked downward. There was a camera on their collar anyway, along with a microphone. Monokuma warned them that these collars were designed to kill them if they broke a rule or if they tried to destroy it.

And that if by some miracle they succeeded, he would storm the place with a rifle and Taser and torture the responsible. A shiver went trough his body.

They returned to the gymnasium, with Ishimaru and Chihiro already present.

“So, did you find anything interesting?” I asked.

“We need to wait for the rest of the group to arrive before asking question! Coordination is necessary in such a time!”

But I remarked that he seemed slightly disappointed with himself.

Shortly after, everyone was here.

We first reported our finding in the bathhouse, Asahina and Sakura found ther kitchen, Celeste and Junko a warehouse, Hifumi and Leon an incinerator.

Like I expected, there was no exit. Which meant we needed to organize ourselves to be safe.

For some reason, I felt compelled to talk.

I cleared my voice, shyly trying to get their attention. I wasn’t used to this…

“Hu-ummm...Since we’re stuck here, I think we should talk a little about how we are going make this place safe.”

“And you think you are the best suited to decide? Please.” Snorted Byakuya.

Sayaka came to my rescue.

“Don’t be mean, Byakuya. Everyone has a right to speak and you could have taken the initiative if you wanted .”

A little embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.“First, we should continue to work in pairs. And regularly patrol to see what is happening, but without being formal about it, in order to be less predictable ; everyone should just patrol occasionally when they feel like it. We should also eat at the same place and at the same times , so we will know if someone is missing. ”

“Even if we weren’t in such a situation, I could only applaud this initiative! Punctuality and meetings are necessary for the good of society!” Kyotaka seemed really happy.

“Yes...and to make sure no one sneak out at night, we should make two...no, three peoples guard at night.“With only two people, one of them could lie. “These peoples would lock the rooms of the other with the keys.”

“It seem like a lot of fuckin’ trouble for nuthin. Are you a coward? Even if someone go outside, it’s not like they could do anything with the doors locked! I say we just lock ourselves!” protested Mondo.

“Well...they could go grab a knife or prepare a trap.” I sheepishly answered. “But it’s true that it’s a lot to ask...It’s no good to be sleepy if we need to be attentive.”

“Why not give Makoto all the keys? That way, if he use his time alone to do something fishy, we will know that it was him since he’s the only candidate. Beside, I’m sure Makoto would never betray us!” declared Sayaka.

I smiled and cast my gaze away.“Thank you a lot for your trust, Sayaka.”My smile disappeared. “But are the other okay with that?”

No one spoke out against the idea.

“I trust that you will be too stupid and to weak to successfully murder me, or get away with murdering anyone else. So I will accept. Be graceful that I have interest in following those rules. ”

Thanks a lot, Byakuya.

“But there is still a risk during the small interval before we forms groups. If there is only two peoples out of their rooms, one of them could attack the other and blame the third person to leave their room for it.” I told to myself.

There had to be a way to solve this problem…

“I know! We should select three peoples who have for duty to be awake and go in the hallways at 8:30. Awake peoples regroup here and go in pair to the dining room while making sure at least three peoples stay here.Wait,no.I can’t open three doors at the same time, someone could just kill me,get rid of the evidences,and let the others rooms locked to prevent any investigation.

Hum...maybe Sakura could take the role ? If anyone is murdered just after we woke up,we knew it would be her, and she would be strong enough to prevent nayone else from comitting murder. Are you okay with that,Sakura ?»

« ...I am. »

« Each duo will be able to swap partner whenever they want, » I continued, » since it may be a little annoying to be stuck with the same person all day.” I continued.

“What about the kitchen? There are knives inside.” Asked Sakura.

My first desire was to lock it, but…

“Is there really nothing else which can be used as a weapon? It’s no use to guard the knives if this is the case...”

Leon reminded me of something:”There was this golden sword in front of the gym.”

“Anything can be a weapon if you put your mind to it. Heck, some of us don’t even need weapons. But nothin’ is as lethal and concealable than a knife I guess, especially if you’re weak.” remarked Mondo.

“We should take the most dangerous weapons and put them in the kitchen, and make sure there is always someone in the dining room...no, in front of the dining room, that way we can guard more entrances at once. In fact, with two peoples here and one in the corner of the dormitory, we can keep track of every person leaving their rooms. “

“But this isn’t the only place to check. The warehouse, the incinerator...” objected Junko.

“The building is small enough. A patrol should be enough, as long as there is an element of randomness on the time of the patrols.” I continued.

“Oh,and if anyone have suggestion to make, just tell it to me, and we will discuss it, I would hate to forget something important.”

No one wished to add anything.

“Who volunteer to go outside of their rooms at 8:30? Since I have the key, I will have to be part of this group.”

“I have every intention to be the first one awake each day! I volunteer!” affirmed Kyotaka.

“I have no intention to wait for commoners like you to wake up. I will take in part in this just to be sure I’m the first one to leave.”

The majority of us went to our rooms, and I locked them, feeling a little strange due to my new responsibilities.

I stayed awake until Celeste, Hifumi, Aoi and Sakura headed back to their rooms, then after their rooms were locked too, I went to my room too.

What a crazy day. And I even proposed a plan to all the ultimates! Still processing everything that happened, I forgot a personal problem of mine, that was bound to become a liability now that my links with the outside world were cut.

_A liability? Now that’s a bit harsh._

xxx

When Monokuma announced he was going to provide motives, I knew nothing good was going to happen. I was currently in the AV room with Sayaka.  
“It’s..!”  
“...a bunch of DVDs. And each one has a label on it with someone’s name.” said Sayaka .  
“This must be the “video for each of us“ he mentioned”.

“I’d better go tell everyone!”  
With these words, Sayaka left.  
I hesitated. Should I really let Monokuma play with us? On the other hand,if I destroyed the CD, I was afraid Monokuma would consider this a degradation of material and punish me, and I may loose the trust of my comrades. I elected to see my video, just in case. It was a little reckless, but I didn’t dare watch someone else’s video.

My body froze when I seen my family, and my blood too when they were replaced by a picture of my destroyed house. That’s… impossible. That couldn’t be happening. But… the situation in which I found myself was supposedly impossible too.

At this moment, everyone else arrived by pair.  
“So…those are the videos, rights? What’s on them?” asked Mondo.  
“Ha...I..I don’t think it’s a good idea to see them!” I said, my hands in front of me, still trying to overcome the shock. But it was a lost cause.

While the videos were displayed and my comrades faces paled, I tried to calm myself. Why was my video so short? Why not show me actual evidence of kidnapping? I recalled some video of artificial neural network; it was probably possible to make a deepfake of what I have seen, or even to destroy the house for real without actually hurting anybody.

I heard gasps of shock and curses around me.  
No one was taking it well. And when I looked toward Sayaka.  
“Hey, Sayaka...”  
She wasn’t looking at me. Sayaka skin was always very pale, but it was now alike porcelain.

Her visage was sweaty and she pressed her arms against herself, her hands on her shoulder.  
I wondered what was in her video, but above all I wanted to comfort her, even though I knew words wouldn’t suffice.

“Sayaka...are you alright?Do you want to talk about it?”  
She answered nothing.  
“What’s wr-wrong? Just hurry up and tell us !” asked Toko with an irritated tone. But it was clear she was acting that thoughtlessly because she didn’t want to think about her own video.”

Sayaka stayed silent. Her eyes were focused on nothing, her expression haunted, her face an empty mask. She wasn’t even listening to us.  
I didn’t know what to do; everything that came to my mind find felt inappropriate and the last thing I wanted was to act like her reaction was abnormal or exaggerated. But I couldn’t just do nothing. I hesitantly put my hand on her shoulder, trying to be gentle.

“Sayaka...”  
“STOP IT!”  
Sayaka pushed my hand aside, but even though her gaze was upon me, it was clear her mind wasn’t , her reaction just a tentative to shield herself from her anxiety and fear.  
She ran off.  
“W-Wait!”  
I instinctively take some steps in her direction. But Byakuya verbally stopped me.

“Let her go.”  
“I can’t just do that!”  
But I didn’t know what I would do when I would find her. Maybe she just wanted to be alone.  
At the same time, she was obviously very, very unwell. I couldn’t let her alone and scared just because of my lack of social courage. I ran out of the room and started searching.

I finally found her, in the corner of the empty classroom in which I found myself awake on not so long ago.  
“Sayaka?  
She was sitting on a chair, her hands on her lap. Her expression had not changed.

Despite this, I could almost feel her emotions in the air, this sensation of…  
It wasn’t an emotion I was familiar with. But the silent horror. The repressed fear. The so very distant gaze...Only one word could describe it.  
It was D E S P AI R.

“Sayaka? Are you ...” The futility of my question was already obvious to me, but only at the end of sentence did my feeling of powerlessness made me stop. “Do you want to talk about it?”  
Self-doubt invaded me. Was it really my place to ask this? She barely knew me, and-  
“I...I don’t … I can’t, it’s too much...Why? Why does such terrible things happen to us? What did we do to deserve this? What did THEY do to deserve this?”  
She sobbed.

Silence fell again. Trying to think about what to say I installed myself on the chair next to her.  
“I understand how you feel. My parents were on my video. My sister, too. They were saying goodbye to me and bidding me luck...T-then the screen went black… and when the images went back, they had disappeared and the house was devastated.”

“But now more than ever, we need to stay calm! We can’t play the mastermind game! We don’t even know if these videos are real. Nowadays, AIs can make photorealist copy of peoples and move them like their want, translate the positions of another person body on them create image out of descriptions. And in my case, as far as I’m concerned, the only thing that this video prove is that my house was vandalized while my family wasn’t here . ”

But I didn’t know if her video was like mine.  
“And…and I know that my family wouldn’t want me to worry for them, especially if I was myself in a complicated situation!”

“But...I seen them they weren’t moving! Even if they didn’t need my help, without me, our career would be destroyed...I...I promised to them! I promised them that I would build our dream with them!”

Another sob coursed trough her body. “I need to be sure! I need to survive! I need to escape!” Tears began to flow and she began to emit sad snorts.

I put my hands on her shoulders.  
“Don’t worry Sayaka. I will protect you, I swear! And the police will be here shortly, we are Ultimates after all.”  
She cowered, lowering her head and hugging her arms.

“But what if they don’t come?”  
“If that happen...Then I will get you out of here myself, no matter what! I promise you!”  
I repressed a startle when she pressed herself against my chest and hugged me.  
“Please, help me! I can’t take this anymore! I need to save my friends...!”  
She began to cry, the face on my jacket, while I hugged her back.

“...Sayaka...”  
Finally, she raised her head, and with watery eyes and a shaky voice, she asked :  
“Can I trust you about this? Did you really meant it?”  
“Of course! I will stick to my words, no matter what!”  
“You’re the only one I feel like I can trust Makoto… so please , always be here for me!”  
“You can count on me, Sayaka.

I will always be by your side.”


	3. Chapter 3

One annoying Monokuma intervention later, I walked Sayaka to her room. I gave her the key of her room that I fetched in mine.   
“I’m going to tell the others you’re okay...You still seem pretty shaken, please take care of yourself. I hope you will have a good night.”  
“Thank you Makoto, and sorry about making you worry about me. Goodnight to you too...”  
With these parting words, she entered her room.   
Once all the other were informed of Sayaka whereabouts, I elected to head back to my room too.  
Now that my duties were carried off, the video came back to my mind. Doubt began to set in.   
If the mastermind was powerful enough to kidnap us inside Hope’s Peak, why wouldn’t he be able to kidnap our family as well? What if he didn’t show more concrete proof because he wanted to punish those who would doubt his narrative by killing their loved ones on camera?   
...I couldn’t think too much about this. Instead, I tried to find a way to get Sayaka out of here.  
Escaping by breaking the collar seemed impossible. Even if we jammed the signal, perhaps it would activate the collars as well. Only a coordinated copy of the anti-activation signal mixed with a scrambling of external one would work. Monokuma said that all the collar had explosive on them, but that they also had alternative methods of killings.   
One sentence came back to my memory. “The headmaster cannot interfere, hurt or kill any student in way other than described in the E-handbook.”  
And another: “Any person breaking the rules will be executed, unless the consequence are directly specified in the rule.”  
If I tricked Monokuma in breaking the rules, would he let us go? Would he kill himself?  
At the very least, maybe he would let one of us go?  
If I wanted to improve my chances, I would need to make it looks like Monokuma decided by himself to break the rules, in order to force him to compromise to keep our trust in his words. But with all these cameras… it would be very tricky.   
The best way may be to deceive Monokuma on who the real murderer is.  
However, for this to happen, then…  
And beside, even if Monokuma fell for it, would the rule be broken only after the execution, and thus froce the loss of another life?  
I needed to ask him the question. The bear was a slow, useless animatronic, but he said we could use our E-handbooks to ask clarifications.  
I was feeling a little lightheaded and my focus was wavering. This day was even more exhausting than the last one.  
…  
*Ding Dong*  
Now fully awake, I looked, surprised, at my door. Who could be here? It wasn’t the time for me to lock the rooms yet. Motioning toward the door, I realized it could be dangerous. A little anxious, I listened to the voice. Sayaka..?  
I realized we shouldn’t leave our rooms without guards outside. But either the group was already here, either none of them were in the hallways. Beside, Sayaka couldn’t possibly be planning to kill me when she was in tear fifteen minutes ago, and there was almost no chance of being uncaught.  
She wouldn’t go see me without good reasons.  
I opened the door.   
“I’m really sorry to come here so late”  
“Hello, what is it for?..”  
The I noticed her body was shaking. She was looking very nervous and her posture denoted withdrawal and fragility.  
“Sorry to bother you, but …something really weird happened.   
I was laying on my bed when… when I heard some strange noises. I went next to my door, and… I noticed someone was trying to unscrew the know of my door. I was so scared I didn’t do anything.  
It stopped after some time.  
When I felt calmer, I unlocked and opened the door, betting on the fact that it would be too risky for the intruder to stay here for long. I spotted Yasuhiro going to his room. I asked him if anybody separated from the group, without partner, like him.  
He answered that everyone was distraught and that a lot of them forgot to stay in duo, and some even refused and stormed to their room.  
So I don’t know who it was. Probably a boy, since they all have a screwdriver.”  
I was shocked.  
“That's...That’s horrible! We need to make sure it don’t happen again!“  
“Hey...I’m sorry to ask this of you, but…could we maybe switch rooms for the night? I’m still very scared and…I’m afraid that he will try again on the same room, I would feel more safe in a different room with the assailant not knowing I’m inside.”  
“Are you sure? You don’t want me to ask peoples to guard the corridor or have someone else sleep in your room?”  
“No...I don’t want to bother anyone and...I want to be alone. But maybe another time...”  
What?  
“So...are you okay with this, Makoto?”  
I couldn’t say no to these eyes, nor to the person who owned them.  
“Okay. If it make you feel safe, then I accept.”  
After thinking a little, I gave her the key of my room.  
“Make sure to stay in your room and to not open up, okay? You promise me?”  
“Of course, Makoto. There is no point in switching room else. Please stay in your room as well.”  
“Sure. Good night, Sayaka.”  
I walked out of the bedroom, and she escorted me to “my” room, wishing me a good night. I hoped my nervousness wasn’t too apparent.   
xxx  
Sayaka was in front of me, in the hallways. Her expression frozen.  
“Sayaka...what are you doing here?”

“I’m afraid that he will try again on the same room, and I would feel more safe in a different room with the assailant not knowing I’m inside.”  
It made sense, but…I was still a little surprised that she didn’t ask to post guards instead, and even more surprised that she was making me sleep in a dangerous place. Maybe she was just scared and that she knew I wouldn’t really be in danger.  
Perhaps she wanted to sleep alone, even if she trusted and liked me. But considering how nice she was to me before...it felt a little out of character.  
Also, it was strange to think someone would attempt murder that quickly and that recklessly.  
Though it’s true that it was probably the last time they would get the occasion to do it.  
“Are you sure? You don’t want me to ask peoples to guard the corridor or have someone else sleep in your room?”  
“No...I don’t want to bother anyone and...I want to be alone. But maybe another time...”  
A sickening feeling crept in my stomach.  
After thinking a little, I gave her the key of my room.   
I hoped with all my hearth I was wrong, but I needed to be sure. I let Sayaka the possibility to betray her promise. One minute after entering my room, I began to guard her door.  
It seemed like everyone was in its room since there was no movement and I was soon going to lock these. And if she was planning to leave, her room… I would confront her.  
...wait, why is the nameplate on her door ...having “Makoto” written on it?  
Focused on the door, I almost missed the rapid walking sound of a person approach me, then stop.

“...I calmed myself and realized that I wasn’t probably in danger, so when I seen there was no faucet in the bedroom, I went to the kitchen to clear my mind and quench my thirst.”  
I wanted to believe her. But I knew it was a lie. She left in less two minutes.  
“Sayaka...do you really expect me to believe that? Why is your expression so strange? Why have you lied to me? Are you trying to… to...”  
But I already knew it. She swapped her room with me to frame me, found a way to get someone to enter it and she surely went to the kitchen to take a knife  
  
Oh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made a few modifications to this chapter,I wrongly written that Asahina's was in Sakura's room when she was in her room with Sakura room.

Oh.

My eyes widened.

Silence fell. A silence preserved by the fact that there was no one else around.

If I tried to talk to her here, she would refuse because someone may see us, and kill me.  
“W-Why no pursue this conversation somewhere where we won’t be interrupted?”  
Talking in my room would be dangerous for her, someone may come to make me lock the doors so she would refuse and kill me.  
“For instance...”

If we talked in her room, someone may notice I wasn’t in my room and verify if I was with Sayaka, and she couldn’t kill me in her own room anyway, so she would refuse and kill me.  
“… in the toil-”  
If I proposed to talk in a place where I could cry for help, she would refuse and kill me.  
“In the AV room?”

She could put a headset on my head so I wouldn’t hear if someone was coming.  
“Or in the gymnasium?”  
A little further, but no one would pass in front of it and it was big enough to see if someone was coming and silence me...or even hide my body.

Her hands tightened behind her back and the corner of her mouth went downward, a spark of fear on her expression.

My hearth missed a beat.  
What?!Why is she refusing?

“W-wait!!..” I quietly panicked. “I won’t make noise or resist, you can put your hand on my mouth, I just want to t-*humf*!”

She abruptly muffled my voice, her soft hand on my lips, a cold and sharp sensation on my throat. She pressed the knife against my jugular, above my collar. Her arm was slightly trembling. Her tilted head projecting shadows on her eyes.

Her breathing was erratic. As was mine.  
“...In Sakura’s room.”  
What? How did she knew Sakura wasn’t inside? Was she sleeping with someone else?  
She turned my head in the other direction, avoiding my gaze.  
My hearth beating madly, I turned the rest of my body and made a step toward Sakura’s room.  
Then another when she pushed me forward, walking quickly, almost running. I followed her rhythm. I shakily put my hand on the doorknob, and pulled it downward.

Letting out a breath, I promptly entered, then closed the door when Sayaka turned me around.  
The hand on my mouth went away. The one holding the knife didn’t move.  
“Don’t move your hands.” Her voice was authoritative but strangled. Cold, but I could feel the emotions raging behind that were making her voice tremble.  
Realizing I absolutely needed to convince her,I tried to calm myself.

“Why are you doing this, Sayaka?” I couldn’t help but let an accusatory and chocked undertone pierce trough his voice. It was a bad strategy. She tensed.  
“It is because of your friends?” I tried to adopt a more neutral, if panicked, tone.“Because of your dream?”  
“I hope you have more things to say than that, Naegi.”  
Her tone was robotic, emotionless.  
A wave of fear overwhelmed me.  
Sweat dripped down my face.  
I needed to attack from another angle. Her mind was steeled. Whatever argument I made, she would withdraw on herself, stifle her emotions and thoughts if I made her scared for her friends.  
“What about the cameras?”

She was probably surprised, not seeing where I was going with this.  
“Only Monokuma can use them.”  
“And what do you think Monokuma is going to do with the video he took, when you leave?  
He explicitly said that he wanted our despair. Do you really think he would let even one of us leave without consequences?”

The pressure on my throat slightly diminished. She didn’t thought about that. She was too occupied thinking to try to reassure herself and rationalize.  
“How do you even know he is going to keep his word? What if he decide to just kill you-”  
“Makoto. Take my handbook. Please.”

I obeyed.  
“Now ask Monokuma if he will release the footage of the cameras.”  
I really didn’t like the direction we were taking.

“Sayaka, you can’t trust Mono-”  
“MAKOTO!”  
Her outburst almost made me jump.  
“Just…do it.”  
Filled with fear and anticipation, I obeyed.  
The answer came quickly. Monokuma was surely watching us.

Mono-log:  
Q:”Will you release the footage of the cameras or give proofs to the rest of the world?”  
A:” Aww, you totally guessed right!”

Yes...there was no way Sayaka would still kill me!

Mono-log:  
A:” But since you found my little trap, here is a gift! I promise that I won’t let any footage of what happened leave this school, starting now!”

“Ask him why I should believe him.”

Mono-log:  
Q:“Do you have any proof that we can trust you on this?”  
A:”I can desactivate your collar. As for the confidentiality...why not give you a mean of pressure?  
You promise to not tell anyone about what happen inside the school or anything like that, and I don’t break mine’s until you break yours. We’d be partner in crime! Isn’t that exciting? Upupupu!  
So just promise to kill your little comrade and I will remove the explosive.  
And if you’re worried that I may try to come and shoot you, know that everyone would lose trust in my word, so that’s not an option for me.”

NO! That couldn’t be happening!  
“WAIT! DON’T LISTEN TO HIM! HE’S TRICKING YOU!”  
But I knew that I was losing the battle.  
“I-...I’m sorry, Naegi-kun. I’m so, so sorry.”  
There were tears in the corner of her eyes.  
“Your friends wouldn’t want that!”  
She bit her lips. Her hand was clenched around the knife.  
“I promised them that I would never abandon them. That we would realize our dreams of being the best pop group of the world. I can’t let them in danger. I’m sor-”  
“YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD!”

A stunned silence. I don’t know what came over me.  
“They are not dead!” she scowled.  
“Then why do you want so badly to see them? Why are they in danger?  
Because of Monokuma? Do you think they’re being held hostage? ”  
“I...probably.”  
“And how do you plan to save them, Sayaka? You don’t know where they are. You’re not a soldier. The government probably already know where they are. Regardless of the state of your friends, you either can’t or don’t need to help them.”  
“…  
Ask Monokuma about this.”  
There was no fight left in her voice. She sounded tired and lifeless.

Mono-log:  
Q:“Will you release the friends of Sayaka you are holding hostage?”

If Monokuma answered positively…

I was going to die.

A:”Uh? Hostage? Wuzzaaat? Perhaps I have hostages, perhaps not, perhaps I will release them, who know? Regardless, I promise that any hypothetical hostage I have won’t be hurt if you keep your word.”

Sayaka typed herself on the monopad, anger in her gaze.

Mono-log:  
Q:”I need proofs. Will you release them, yes or no? If you lie to me, I will reveal everything to the police. And I will make sure the other students know that you can’t be trusted.”  
A:“They will be far too dead for that, my murderous friend!”  
Q:”Then why did you said you couldn’t shoot me because everyone would lose trust in you?”  
A:”Mmm? I don’t recall saying, writing, or even thinking any of that! Look at the log if you don’t trust me.”  
Q:”You just edited it. Either you were lying when you said you wouldn’t shoot me, either you were lying when you said that I couldn’t make the students loose trust in you.”

Sayaka was focused on the screen. It occurred to me I could try to to snap the knife out of her hand.  
If...I could just raise my hands…without her noticing...just a little more…

“Sayaka...please...what would your friends do in your position?  
Do you really think...that they would try to kill someone?”  
“...”  
“Sayaka-san...I promised you that I would get you out of here...and I intend to keep that promise!  
So please, drop your knife. You don’t need to do this.”

After another moment of silence, Sayaka began to weep, looking at the ground.  
She removed the blade, arms shaking. It felt like she was fighting the imperious duty she forced on herself, like her owns arms acted without the consent of the rest of her body; or rather, like her entire body was fighting her, refusing to accept the consequence of her actions and the gravity of what she did; clinging to the illusion that she was helping her friends for direction.

I took deep inspirations, my adrenaline withdrawing. Trying to regain a semblance of emotional foothold. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.  
I turned around to face Sayaka.

“i’m sorry...”  
Sayaka’s two hands were gripping the knife, just above the floor. The Idol’s neck was exposed, her head at forty-five degree.  
What…

“SAYAKA!”  
I threw my hands on the blade.  
I let out a yelp when it entered my flesh.  
Her eyes opened wide, surprise and shock painted on her face.  
I jerked the knife out of my right hand,letting out another scream and holding my hand.

“Makoto? Why…?Your hand..!” began Sayaka, but soon she was avoiding my gaze again.  
“Why are you still trying to help me? After everything I’ve done...” She sounded dumbfounded.  
I instantly wanted to answer “Because you’re my friend!”,”Because I promised you!” or “Because it’s normal!”, but I realized even without these three things, I would’ve helped her anyway.  
“Because I want everyone here to make it out of here alive, and because I know we can do it.  
You asked me to always be here for you, and I will to do just that.”

“I don’t deserve your compassion.”  
“Well, I think you do! If you really didn’t deserve my compassion, you wouldn’t feel bad about it, would you? So please, don’t give up Sayaka! You can’t just give up on your life like that, without thinking about how your friends would feel about it. Without thinking how I feel about it!”  
For the first time, I was angry. I was trying hard to help her. Why was she refusing to trust me? Why did she gave so little value to her life?

She seemed surprised by my outburst. Or rather, by the fact that I showed anger about her suicide attempt and almost none about her betrayal.

“Makoto. I…okay. Sorry...and thank you. Thank you infinitely.  
You’re an amazing person, Makoto and I’m really, really sorry about what I’ve done.”

I hesitated, and instinctively reached toward her before hissing in pain when my focus went back on my perfored palm and destroyed bones.

Sayaka instantly jolted back, her hand on her mouth, now fully focused on what she did to my hand.  
“I-I’m sorry! I’m gonna get help!”  
Tear eyed, she stormed out of the room and hastily closed the door behind her.

I was alone.

…

God, it hurted…

My eyes were getting watery.  
I sniffed while I dried my eyes with my sleeve, one sniff which was quickly followed by many other when the tears came back and began to roll on my cheeks. Everything which happened crashed down on me at once, the panic, shock and betrayal I felt when Maizono attacked me, the tension, guilt and fear when I suspected her, even the stress of the killing game and my worry about my family…

I didn’t cry the first night when my world was shattered, I didn’t cry when the reality began to sink in, and I didn’t cry after the motive video. But I was certainly crying now.  
I cried without reason, without precise subject, just to finally evacuate all my pent-up emotions.  
I covered my faces during half a minute(or was it more? Less?) before my tears began to stop.  
I went in the bathroom to blow my nose, and went back on the bed, taking deep inspirations. I was feeling a lot more calm now.

Someone knocked on the door. I hastily dried my tears when Sayaka entered, along with Sakura and Asahina. Asahina gasped when she saw my hand.  
“Naegi, what...no, please first come in the shower. We need to clean the wound.” said Sakura.  
But her sharp eyes didn’t miss the bloodied knife I negligently threw.  
I muffled my voice when water and soap disinfected my cut. Asahina softly apologized.  
Sakura was ripping clothes and cleaning them, and then bandaged my hand with them, reviving my pain again.

“Are you feeling better, Naegi?” asked Sakura.  
Not really, but I nodded anyway.

“What happened? ”

I threw a gaze at Sayaka, who stayed quiet and distant from us. She bit her lip.  
Now that the pain had withdrawn a little, I was feeling really tired. I didn’t want to think about this.  
“I’m feeling a little tired right now. Can I answer this tomorrow?”  
Sakura had seen my action and I felt like she had some idea about what happened thank to Sayaka lack of composure.  
She took the knife and put it in the drawer.  
“Very well. Rest well, Naegi.”  
said Sakura.

"Thank..." I answered.

Sayaka looked split between relief and guilt.  
Everyone went to their rooms , except Sakura who went with Ashina (the latter told me she was feeling scared, she explained ; I asked her to inform someone before doing that) and after asking if some peoples were still wandering, I locked every room,except the empty one I just left,because I wanted to go to sleep as soon as possible.

When we arrived to Sayaka’s room, our eyes aligned briefly. I couldn’t stand the guilt I seen inside,and my emotions were conflicting. So I showed a reassuring smile and bid Sayaka a  
“Good night,Sayaka.” After a split second of confusion, she sheepishly nodded and answered.  
“Good night, Naegi-kun...”

With that,I went back to my bedroom, and settled under the blanket. Sleep soon came to greet me.

This night, I had strange dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

Monokuma theater

* curtain open *

I don’t understand peoples who blame psychopathic murderers. I mean, what do this accomplish?

And that’s sooo hypocritical of them!

After all, if they were in exactly the same situation and had lived the same lives, they would have acted the exact same way. So blaming peoples is stupid. And that applies to blaming blamer, too!

So go and blame everyone you want! Because in the end, no one can blame you for it.

* curtain fall *

Sayaka was in front of me, laughing. We were at a cafe, with a cup of chocolate each.

“I would do anything for my dreams” , she confided to me.

“Don’t worry”,I answered.”I will always be by your side.”

I waited for her in front of her room.

“You don’t have to do this,Sayaka. There are cameras, and..and...why even bother?”

Sayaka cried on my shoulder, hugging me.

“I’m so sorry ,Makoto.”

She stabbed me. I ran, but couldn’t reach the end of the corridor.

I felt her behind me, growing even closer, not even needing the sound of her step to know this.

I tripped on my feet, and she began to stab repeatedly after making me fall.

I just gave up and closed my eyes, focusing on the calm, on the softness and warmth around me.

I was feeling so good, not having to move or think at all.

Slowly, I became aware of my immediate surrounding, which was a blanket ,a pillow and a soft bed, then room I was in came back into my memory, then the cold sensation around my neck.

I was in the room in...Hope’s Peak and ...oh. The killing game. And Sayaka. Sayaka tried to kill me.

Now fully awake, I groggily left my bed. I was feeling less anxious and strange than before,but...gosh,he needed to go out of this place quickly, or at least to convince Monokuma to give him his stuff back.

I took the handle and opened my door, wondering if the others were up,but I didn’t see anyone...I was supposed to unlock everyone rooms, isn’t it? What hour is it even? I felt like I overslept. You suck, Makoto. I hurriedly took the keys and began to open the doors, beginning by Asahina’s.

“Hello Asahina.Where is Sakura?”

“She’s meditating in the bathroom, for like twenty minutes. She helped me to meditate as well, it was fun. And now I’m fired up! I couldn’t stand a minute more locked up in my room!”

“I’m really sorry for waking up so late. The others will probably be a little pissed off.

“That’s okay Makoto. You’re only fifteen minutes late.”cheered Asahina.”I probably wouldn’t want to wake if...whatever happened to you happened to me. But...what happened exactly?”

“...”I didn't know what to answer. I didn’t want to keep them in the dark, but I didn’t want to reveal what Sayaka had done either ,and it seemed like it would be really hard to not confirm who it was if I were to speak about it, especially considering Sakura’s suspicions. But since it was just Asahina for now, maybe it would be okay. I hope Sakura didn’t share her suspicion with her.

“Someone attacked me because of a lack of judgment from Sayaka. She lied to me because she was scared, and she proposed to swap room with me because someone was trying to get inside her room. But she didn’t plan to put me in danger. I think the assailant will reveal itself sooner or later. I will speak to them about it.”

“What? That’s crazy! Aren’t you afraid of being attacked?” cried out Asahina.

“That’s okay, I will told one or two persons where I go. Beside, I really don’t think the attacker will try again. I convinced them that it was a bad idea, and they only went trough with it due to their emotion and I’m certain they feel very guilty about it. Speaking of which, I will explain to everyone why it is a very bad idea, so… I need to unlock them right now, I’m already late enough...”

Most peoples made me remark about the fact that I was late, but some were more callous than others.

“I expected nothing of you. And you disappointed me anyway. How dare you appoint yourself as leader when you’re no even capable of following your owns orders? Did the mediocrity of you life leave you without the will to go trough another day? You had seventeen years to adapt, and I certainly will not be the one who will do it in your place.”

I don’t really feel like precising who it is.

“W-why did you took so much ti-ime? I-It is because you find me so ugly that you wanted to delay it? Don’t deny it! O-or it is because you already took advantage of the trust the blue-haired bimbo ,along with the other idiots, put into you? I knew I c-couldn’t trust you!”

“That’s really not that, Toko...I just overslept, I’m really sorry.”

“T-that’s a g-good explanation...for a traitor trying to deceive u-us! ”

“Byakuya,please help.”

“Why would I want to interact with her?”

“Byakuya.”

Leon was acting like he was a little angry but let it go since he was a cool dude, but I could tell he was pretty pissed off ,and probably more due to his situation than by any plan I would have delayed.

Mondo greeted him with a resounding “Piece of shit!”,but it was better than the bureaucratic fury of

Kiotaka just after he understood that my tardiness was not caused by a murder.

Hifumi assured of his comprehensiveness toward a fellow “morning-dutier”,whatever that meant.

Celeste showed her exasperation behind a transparent coating of graciousness that a four year old could have seen trough and that a five year old would judge as deeply childish and embarrassing, her rage barely converted in aggressive contempt by me doing the verbal equivalent of groveling.

But that still better that Kyoko , which succeeded in making me feel judged without changing her expression or pronouncing a single word outside of a deceptively neutral greeting.

Chihiro was far too shy to even remotely express or feel anger toward me, tear of relief coming to her eyes when I opened and shown myself to be alive.

And Hiro just didn’t even realize I was late.

Junko didn’t left her room,so I just unlocked her room after knocking.

I winced a little realizing that without Hina and Sakura residing in the same room,I would have been in a position where I was alone with someone, and in the worst case they could have killed me and put the blame onto the second person they would unlock. Gosh, why did I put myself into a position of responsibility? And...what happened last evening...I could have prevented that. I needed to make sure it wasn’t to happen again.

Speaking of which...I was in front of Sayaka’s room. It was just next to mine, but it ended up being the last I unlocked.

_Sayaka waited with dread for the doorbell to ring. She almost spent the night without resting ,only succumbing to sleep due to a desire for peace and_ _rest after_ _the exhausting event_ _s_ _of last time._

_She waked up early though, her subconscious not forgetting that she would have to confront the rest of the class,and before all Makoto. Without mean to check the clock_ _in the dining hall_ _, her stress skyrocketed ,until slowly diminishing when it became apparent the hour for unlocking has passed. Perhaps they just decided to lock her in her room? Not like she didn’t deserve it. She was secretly relieved to not have to confront the others about what she has done, and although_ _the_ _despair and self-hatred_ _she was feeling_ _weren’t the nicest feelings, they were a lot better than_ _the sheer shame,guilt and desire to die she would feel when confronted with her actions_ _. She began to dwell again on what Makoto said to her._

_Not_ _on_ _the moment of forgiveness that she didn’t really understood, nor the desperate pleas that would not leave her mind_ _and that were not a subject of reflexion but of sheer guilt and pain_ _._

_Instead, it was the reasons invoked by Makoto for her to give up on her murder attempt that occupied her thoughts._

_Even if Monokuma didn’t lie or omit anything when he said he wouldn’t leak what happened to the outside world, he had no reason to not do so now_ _that she denied him a fresh body_ _. And anyway, the others would expose her to the world as soon as they escaped_ _even_ _if Monokuma decided to be magnanimous._

_Her father, her friends, her fans,_ _**everyone** _ _would know what she had done._

_The celebrity and fame she fought so hard about...was going to be_ _turned against her, turned into infamy and public outrage_ _._

_Her dream was dead. She hugged herself. Even if her friends were okay, she had soiled the reputation of the group, and they probably wouldn’t survive very long_ _in the industry_ _without her._

_And it’s not like (the tiniest smile appeared on her lips) she could take advantage of the fact she didn’t have to distance herself from boys anymore to deepen her relationship with Makoto._

_Her sad smile quickly disappeared, as she silently stared at the ceiling, every thought erased by apathy, hopelessness and resignation._

_***Ding dong** _ _*_

_?..Oh no...She don’t want to do this. Just thinking about confronting Makoto... it was too much . Why was he so late? Was it someone else? Maybe Makoto didn’t tell them already. Clinging to th_ _is_ _hope to gather the courage to open the door, she heard the lock click._

“Hello,Sayaka.”

After a half-second of silent immobility, her eyes darted around, first avoiding my gaze, trying to look at me again in a manner both submissive and accepting, before taking notice of the peoples around and looking straight at me before quickly looking at the others again, her usual fake smile on her face. _when did I decide her smile was fake? her smile feel genuine and gorgeous, like her_

“...Hello,Makoto”

I didn’t like that thought. I shouldn’t judge my friends. I wanted to reconcile with Sayaka and make sure she didn’t have to wear a fake smile again, or felt uncomfortable around me.

“Sorry for the lateness. You want to come eat your breakfast with us?” I smiled. I tried to convey to her that she didn’t have to worry.”

“Oh, of course.”

Anyone else would see no problem with Sayaka, but he supposed and felt like she wasn’t totally reassured yet. He would solve this problem at some point.

We went to the dining hall along with Hiro and Chihiro . Sakura arrived shortly after. She threw a gaze to my wounded hand, but said nothing. Perhaps she wanted to talk to me in private.

We ate our breakfast. I was determined to stop entertaining negative thought, about Sayaka or others, and I was focused on my next speech. Despite my shortcomings, I knew I could lead all of my classmates out of here.

“Where is Junko?The breakfast meeting is mandatory!” exclaimed Kyotaka.

It’s true that she was the only one to not greet me...

“I wondered that as much, but I thought we left without her because it was safe for her to leave her room unguarded since she was alone.” murmured Chihiro.

“Oh man,I didn’t even realized !” said Hiro in a surprised voice.

“It’s not like something could have happened to her last night, r-right? We were all locked into our rooms...” nervously said Asahina.

“I don’t want to believe that anyone here would want to hurt their friends...”said Chihiro.

“We need to be sure. Let’s check her room quickly.”said Kyoko. She left as soon as she finished.

“Count me in!” grumbled Mondo.

“Unacceptable! Lateness will not be tolerated! A life without schedules is like a ship without rudder!”

Nothing could have happened to her...I took every precaution possible!

I accompanied them running .

“No running in the hall!”

“YOU are running, Kyotaka!”

“I’m not running, I am walking hurriedly to reprimand a law-breaker!”

Most of the other followed behind.

The hearth pounding,I entered the room.

…

Where was she?

Kyoko was already searching the toilets, but she shook her head.

I verified anyway. She had disappeared.

“Can everyone attest that their room is empty?” asked Kyoko.

“I cannot confirm this” said Sakura.”I did not spent the night in my room”.

“W-W-WHAT !And...what is your explanation for such a deed? I hope nothing...murderous was involved?” nervously asked Hifumi.

“That’s not it!”protested Asahina.

“Asahina merely wished me to spent the night in my room.” assured Sakura.

Hifumi began sweat and drool began to fall toward his chin,a pervy expression on his face, so I quickly spoke to cut the onslaught of bad taste that I knew was coming.

“Y-Yeah, I can confirm, Hina was a little shaken by her video and asked Sakura to come over.”

“In that case, can I assume that you didn’t check your room?” asked the amnesiac.

“Yes, it would be true” answered the Martial Artist.

“Then we’d better investigate here too.”

“I was here last night though and nothing was here, so I doubt you will find anything.” I informed her.

“I will verify anyway.”

She opened the door, and stopped, her face as blank as always.

…

But mine wasn’t.

Because we finally found Junko Enoshima,the Ultimate Fashionista.

On the ground,deep cuts on her arms,and a knife in her throat. .

A scream escaped my mouth.

No how could it happen? Wait,I couldn’t let the others see that or the class trial would-

“Makoto,what’s happening?” asked Sayaka while entering the room. Her eyes widened.

She choked a cry with her hand.

*Ding dong ding dong*

“A body has been discovered.”

“After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!

I you don’t find the murderer, also called blackened,all of you will be executed,and the murderer will be free to leave. If you find him, then the opposite will happen. Well,my bad,you’re going to stay stuck here, so that’s a little of a lie. Hahahahaha!!!”

**Investigate**

Still shaking, I tried to assimilate what was happening.

The others entered .

Hina asked me something:“Hey Makoto,what was this scream!Don’t tell me...hhaaaAAAA!”

“...” Sakura has a somber , unreadable expression on her face.

“Noooo...This has to be a joke right, there is no way this is happening,our plan was supposed to be perfect! Sweet Buddha,please help us!” freaked out Hiro.

“Who the hell hurt a chick...When I fukin’ find you,you’re gonna enter a world of pain, motherfucker...” said Mondo while cracking his knuckles. “...Hey,what are you doing with this body, mystery girl? Hand’s off!”

“If we want to find the culprit, then we will have to find proof. Or would you rather doom us all by doing nothing?”

“...”

“If you want to make yourself useful, please guard the crime scene. The culprit may want to plant or destroy evidences, though they probably already had enough time for that.”

“I will help thou. I believe this task is more adapted to my skills.” said Sakura.

I looked over Kyoko shoulder. The body of Junko was still here, like a parody of who she was.

Her throat was open. It was probably the cause of death, right? No one could have survived this.

“ **Open Neck” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I remarked cuts on her arms,but deciding it wasn’t the time to disturb Kyoko,I began to check in the bathroom, in the drawers, and under the bed.

Hum? There is a bloodied knife here...a kitchen knife, like Sayaka’s.

...I just left it in Sakura’s room last time, didn’t I?

“ **Bloodied Knife” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I should probably check the kitchen …

Before that,I wanted to talk to Sakura.

“Thank you a lot for helping me last time,Sakura. By the way,where were you last night?”

I remembered Sayaka seeming scared of going to the AV room, so maybe Sakura was in here.In the kitchen, maybe?

“Hina was feeling scared, so we made tea and drank it in the dining hall.”

“Did you happen to see anyone here?”

“No, but we left for a minute and...I think thou know that someone came during this interval ,Makoto. Isn’t it?” she looked at me with serious eyes.

I looked away.

“I can perfectly understand her reasons. I, myself, have shown weakness when watching my video. But kindness and denial are two different things ,Makoto. Do not forget it.”

“ **Sakura’s Testimony” added to the Truth Bullet section**

Before leaving the room, I asked Kyoko if she found anything during her inspection.

“Did you find evidences on the body ,Kyoko?”

“There are injuries on her arms which probably came from the knife and which seem to have for goal to incapacitate her.”

Why would there be a need to incapacitate her? Aren’t murders supposed to be quick?

“ **Cuts on Arms ” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“One of her nail is bloodied. The left thumb, more accurately.”

What could be the reason?

“ **Bloodied Nail” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“And there is a mark on her throat.”

Why is a bruise here? Why strangle someone after killing them?

“ **Bruise on Neck” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“Thank a lot ,Kyoko! ”

Exiting the room and walking in the hallways, I noticed something: blue hairs in the baseboards. A small wick,in fact. Looking at them carefully,they looked like they were ripped of,the base was missing on some.

There was only one person with blue hairs here...why are her hairs here? It’s an unusual place to find hairs…Sayaka,I don’t understand...

“ **Blue Hairs” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I looked around and on the floor to check for more hairs, but I didn’t find anything.

However, I found a little spot which was perfectly clean. It was a oval of around twenty centimeters long and five centimeters wide. Wait...was this dried blood?

It was far too small to hide the blood of a murder...so what could this be?

“ **Clean Spot” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I continued to look around.

The doors were unlocked now...but except for Sakura’s and mine, they were locked before.

I would have remarked it when trying to open them otherwise.

Last night,I went in front of almost each door and locked them.

So how could this happen? There is only one time interval possible…

“ **The Lockdown” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I looked quickly at all the nameplates to see if they was something strange...but they were all exactly as they should be.

Nothing strange with that, right?

“ **Correctly Placed Nameplates” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I went into the kitchen.

Inside was Asahina.

She seemed a little distraught.

“Hey,are you okay, Hina?”

“Not really...I came here because I didn’t knew how to help, and because it help relax me a little.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll handle the investigation just fine.”I reassured her.”Kyoko seem really reliable, she’s investigating the body by herself and took the initative to lead us.”

“Yeah, you’re right. If I was amnesiac and in a situation like this, I would never be so confident!”

“I’m gonna check the kitchen, unless you already have?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Okay then.”

When I arrived here, I remarked that something was missing. The knife at the utmost left was missing. It’s just the knife Sayaka took,right?

“ **Missing Knife” added to the Truth Bullet section**

There wasn’t anything else important here, and the tool-kits and the sewing kits were still here.

Before leaving,I needed to verify something to Hina.

“By the way Hina,were you with Sakura last night?”

“Yeah,I wanted to calm myself and Sakura was here. She offered to make the tea but I didn’t want to burden her more so I did it myself. And after,I took donuts at the warehouse. I can hold on as long as I have Sakura.And donuts.”

“ **Asahina's Testimony” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“Did you happen to see anyone here?Sakura told me no one came.”

“No…Hey Makoto,how come you were hurt with a knife?”

…

“W-W can discuss this later. Now we need to investigate.”

Now it was time to investigate Junko’s room.

Though...I’m sure someone was already there. What if the blackened tried to go in a less obvious place to alter evidences?What other place could I investigate? Maybe the incinerator, with all this blood, perhaps the blackened tried to get rid of evidences like clothes? Yes,it looked like a good start.

I met Hifumi once I arrived;the gates were opens.

“Hum...Concerning ,very concerning indeed!”

“What is concerning, Hifumi?”

“A murder has occurred, and yet, I didn’t found any evidence at the disposal site, like I ought to be! Our enemy is perfidious and cunning at the highest degree!”

What would really be concerning would be evidences…

“Well,it’s not like it’s very complicated to use the incinerator.”

“Fufufu...this is where you are wrong, my young apprentice! For I was the one who was entrusted with the keys!”

That’s a good thing I guess...only him could have opened the gate.

But…

“There are bits of glass on the floor, though...”

“Well, that’s true. But I don’t see how it’s supposed to help us.”

Me neither, but I will remember just in case.

“ **State of the Trash Room” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I then went into Junko’s room.

Before arriving, I met Hiro.

“Hello, little guy! How is your investigation going?”

“I’m finding evidences, but I have no idea what it could mean. What did you find during yours?”

“My investigation? Huh...Haha,of course I investigated! Else, why would I be here, informing you that my crystal ball has been broken?”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,let me show you.”

It was indeed broken, and there were bits missing, but...I’m pretty sure it’s glass, not crystal.” Since you were investigating, I thought it would interest you,so...”

“Weren’t you supposed to investigate too?”

“Huh...You’re totally right! Investigation, here I go!” he quickly go out of auditory range to avoid the onslaught of logic incoming.

At least, he helped. I don’t see what it’s supposed to prove, but...

“ **Broken Crystal Ball” added to the Truth Bullet section**

After this, I opened the door to our deceased classmate.

But there wasn’t anything unusual. Kyoko was examining the floor.

“What are you doing ,Kyoko?”

“Searching for evidences.” she replied without moving her gaze.

“Okay...” perhaps she wanted to see if someone else hairs were here.

“I suppose you didn’t find anything interesting...”

“Contrariwise ; I found blue hairs.”

But how could have someone, at fortiory Sayaka, entered Junko’s room? I locked it, and it was still locked this morning.

“Maybe Sayaka hang out with her?” I weakly proposed.

She smiled “I doubt it. But don’t worry too much for Sayaka, Makoto.”

How could I not?

I wanted to ask her more question, but she cut me.

”Sorry,but I don’t have time. I need to check the body.”

She was right, so I reluctantly continued to check the room, but nothing caught my attention.

“ **Clean Junko’s Room” added to the Truth Bullet section**

*Ding dong bing bong*

“Em, so ah...I’m getting tired of waiting. Honestly, I don’t think this person deserve so much attention...so how about we just get started, hum?

It’s time for the long awaited…Class Trial! Now then, allow me to appoint a proper location for the proceedings. Please go trough the red door on the 1st floor of the school.

Puhuhu. See you soon!”

No...I didn’t have the slightest idea of who had done it. I was the only one who had access to keys, Sayaka’s hairs were present at strange place, the only knife which could have been took was in our possession, and Junko should’ve been locked in her room.

But I had no choice. Monokuma would execute those who didn’t come.

Before I could do anything,Kyoko poped up with something that looked like...Junko’s hairs?

“Wh-is this Junko’s hairs?”

“Of course not. At least, not in this way. This this her wig. Though,she isn’t really ‘Junko’ either...”

What?

“What?”

“You will understand during the class trial.”The class trial…

She put her hand on my shoulder.

“Please relax, Makoto. We will find the blackened and solve this case, I assure you. Don’t lose hope.”

With these encouraging words, she left.

“ **Junko’s Wig” added to the Truth Bullet section**

After a few seconds , I followed her.

During my short trip, I met Sayaka.

“I almost did the same thing than the blackened...”she murmured, her face blank.

“But you didn’t, and that’s what I important.”

“I don’t know how I will prove that I’m not the blackened. I took a knife, and Asahina and Sakura seen it when I asked them to heal you.”

“Don’t worry, I know I locked you last evening, so I can vouch for you.”

In the worst case,I may have to explain some part of what happened…

She glanced sideways.

“...If you didn’t help me, I would be in their position right now” and looking right at me:”...so thank you again ,Makoto. I will never thank you enough.”

I blushed a little and scratched my cheek. “I just said what I thought, and beside...” _I didn’t have much of a choice._

Shut up _.”..._ it’s only natural _._ So let’s solve this trial, to make sure all of this wasn’t for nothing.” I said with determination. Saying these word, helping Sayaka...it helped me stay calm. It gave me resolve and hope. I was not just doing this for me, and I wasn’t alone. I was with Sayaka.

I arrived in view of the red door, which was open, and an elevator was behind, with everyone waiting.

I was with everyone else, sharing the same objective.

And amidst them…

Lurked a murderer.

We entered the elevator. I was thrilling with anticipation and tension.

The door closed, and we went down.

Everyone was silent.

I didn’t knew Junko well. But she was funny to be around with. She was a student like all of us.

She wasn’t meant to be imprisoned here. And she certainly wasn’t meant to die here.

And another thing that certainly wasn’t meant…

Was for her murder, to stay unsolved.

xxx

 _Hello. Before we begin this class trial, I’d like to give you some tips. First, be aware that groups of words which looks like_ **this** _can be refuted trough the use of truth bullets, while those which looks like_ _ **this**_ _can be agreed with. A truth bullet can be used at multiples occasions. If there is no truth bullet, then you will have to do a blank shot on the suspect slip-up or on any wrong statement.If multiple statements contradicts each other,just load one to shoot at the other._

_If you happen to see this text :_

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_You are encouraged to pause your reading to find a solution._

_If you are interested,here is a list of all the truth bullets you collected._

**Open Neck/ Bloodied Knife/ Cuts on Arms/ Bruise on Neck/ Blue Hairs/ Clean Spot/ Correctly Placed Nameplates/ Missing Knife/ Asahina's Testimony/ Sakura’s Testimony/Junko’s Wig/ Clean Junko’s Room/ The Lockdown/ Bloodied Nail/ State of the Trash Room/ Broken Crystal Ball**

_Good luck, if you wish to participate that is. Regardless, I hope you will enjoy it._

xxx

“Lets begin with a basic explanation of the class trial. So your votes will determine the results!

If you can figure out “whodunnit” then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one...then I will punish everyone beside the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone will graduate!”

I didn’t feel great about the portrait of Junko Enoshima in the courtroom, and I didn’t really care about the sixteen seats.

_**Truth bullets:**_ **Bloodied Knife/Open Neck/Missing Knife/Junko’** **s Wig**

“How do we begin this?” asked Asahina.

“Huh, how about be begin with the cause of death? I didn’t really see anything with everyone in front of the body, but I’m not the ultimate clairvoyant for nothing!”

“How come you didn’t even see _**the obvious injury**_ during your investigation?”

“I think you’re using erroneous premises.” snorted Byakuya.

“Yeah! _**My premises are much better!**_ ” assured Hiro.

“T-That’s now how you’re supposed to use this word!”

“Junko died because of Monokuma! _**That’s the only possible explanation**_ as to why our security measures didn’t work!”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Confirmation**_ _:_ **Open Neck** > _**the obvious injury**_

“It seem like the fatal injury was the cut throat. Unless it done after her death...but I don’t see anything else which could have killed her quickly. Though, I don’t think we can be sure the bruise isn’t the cause.”

Asahina put her hands in the air.“And frankly Hiro, it’s not like I don’t want to believe you, but Monokuma can barely move. There is no way he could kill someone.”

“Then how come he’s in the courtroom!”

“It’s probably not the same. We would’ve seen it if it moved...”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Clean Spot** _ **/** _ **Correctly Placed Nameplates** **/Missing Knife/** **Cuts On Arm**

“This is so horrible...who could possibly have done that?” asked a tears-eyed Chihiro.

“W-Why are you even asking this question? It’s obviously **Makoto who did it** ! He’s the **only one who could have unlocked her door!**

He waited for the night, **took a knife in the kitchen,** discretely entered her room...and **killed her by surprise!** ”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Cuts On Arm** > **killed her by surprise**

“I-I didn’t do it! How do you explain all those cuts on her arms if I attacked her by surprise?”

“Those cuts were made to disable Junko and neutralize her.” informed Kyoko.

“But why would the murderer need to do that?” asked Leon, disgruntled.

“We will come to it eventually.”

“Tch. You’re,I hope, aware he could really well have killed her first, then cut her arms after?”

disdainfully said Byakuya.

“Master’s right!”

“I do not need nor want your approval. Regardless, I hope you can do better than that. Do you have a true unfakable proof that Makoto didn’t just **went into her room and killed her?** ”

_ **Select a truth bullet:** _ **Open Neck/ Bloodied Knife/ Cuts on Arms/ Bruise on Neck/ Blue Hairs/ Clean Spot/ Correctly Placed Nameplates/ Missing Knife/ Asahina's Testimony/ Sakura’s Testimony/Junko’s Wig/ Clean Junko’s Room/ The Lockdown/ Bloodied Nail/ State of the Trash Room/ Broken Crystal Ball**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Proof**_ _:_ **Clean Junko’s Room** > **went into her room and killed her**

“There is no blood in Junko’s room. No evidence of a murder at all.”

“And what make you think it hasn’t been cleaned?”

“Well, it would be hard to clean the mattress...and the floor isn’t clean.”

“I can confirm.” attested Kyoko. ”There were hairs and dust on the floor.”

“Hmf. Very well, continue then.” smiled Byakuya.

“You seem rather happy for someone who has just been rebutted.” remarked Kyoko.

“She’s not wrong...” said Ashaina with a low voice.

“It’s just that letting such stupid arguments be made bother me. My hypothesis has not been invalidated.”

“I can respect that.”

“Were the hairs pink like Junko?”asked Hifumi.

“You mean blond.”said Kyotaka.

“No I mean-”

“They were blue.”interrupted Kyoko.

“What? No, they are clearly blond.” exclaimed Leon.

“Or pink, at very least!”intervened Kyotaka.

“...No,I’m speaking about-”

“Honestly, we can settle for strawberry blonde.”

“-the hairs on the ground,thankyouforthisinterventionAoi,if I ever want an accurate chart of hair color ,I will ask you. ” interrupted Kyoko.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ _ **Junko’s Wig** _ _ **/ Correctly Placed Nameplates/ Missing Knife/ Asahina's Testimony** _

Leon was surprised.“Wait, what?You’re telling me **Sayaka came into her room**?Did Junko invite you in her room ,Sayaka?”

Sayaka face was blank.“Huuu…?”

“My,my,it seem like it is **not the reason those hairs are here**.”

“Wait,I swear I didn’t do it! **I don’t know what those hairs are doing here!** ”

“What the fuck?You’re **the only one here with blue hairs,100% sure** **!** Don’t try to bullshit us,girl!” said Leon with a mix of disbelief,fear,and anger on his face.

No...it can’t be Sayaka,right?She wouldn’t do that! I need to find a way to prove her innocence.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Junko’s Wig** > **the** **only one here with blue hairs,100% sure!**

“Wait!We don’t know that for sure!”

“What?You know any chick with fukin’ blue hairs,dude?Don’t mess with me!” grumbled Mondo.

“Junko had a wig,Kyoko is the one who discovered it! So maybe her hairs are blue!”

Sakura looked confounded.“What?”

“Indeed,”Junko’s” hairs are blues. And I can even say their color is a little darker than Sayaka’s,which correspond to the ones I found. They may be dyed.”

Sayaka looked infinitely relieved.

“Hold on. Junko don’t have blue hairs,I’m not an idiot. And why would she have a wig?”

Kyoko displayed a small smile.“Because she isn’t Junko Enoshima. She’s an impostor.”

So that’s why she looked different on the magazine..!But I don’t understand why an impostor would be here.

“ **Fake Junko” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“W-why would she do this?” asked Chihiro.

“It is possible...that she was a traitor.” Kyoko said.

“A traitor!? I-I can’t believe it!” the small programmer was horrified.

“We’re already monitored by camera and at our kidnapper’s mercy. What would the mastermind gain from this?”asked Celestia,in a cold voice.

“Maybe in case we hide the line of sight of a camera and communicate by writing, or in case of a malfunction.” I hazarded.

“And maybe she is here not just to watch, but to act. We do not know her talent, she may be a skilled fighter. It may be useful for the demon keeping us here were we to stage a rebellion.”sighed Sakura. “Though I have to admit I am relieved to know the victim may have contributed to her own demise and that a potential threat is gone, I cannot judge her for her action without knowing her motives.

“Anyway,I think it’s safe to say that this does not constitute evidence against Sayaka.” Kyoko said.

Sayaka looked relieved. “Thank you,Makoto . And you too, Kyoko.”

“It’s nothing .I’m just trying to expose the truth. Sorry for the misdirection, but being interrupted make it ”she looked at several peoples “a little hard to communicate all the details.”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Clean Spot** _ **/** _ **Bloodied Nails** **/** **State of the Trash Room** **/** **Broken Crystal Ball**

“But where was she killed then?”asked Mondo.“ **In the hallways?** ”

“I don’t recall seeing **blood** in the hall...”

Byakuya smirked.“If there was, it’s probably _**been washed**_.”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Confirmation**_ _:_ **Clean Spot** > **been washed**

“Well, there is a clean spot at this place. Well, maybe there was dried blood,it was hard to be sure. ”

“It was blood. Hastily cleaned,with a clothing perhaps.“ confirmed Kyoko.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ _ **Cuts on Arms/Bruise on Neck/Blue Hairs/Clean Spot/Correctly Placed Nameplates/** _

“If such is the case, the murder could have occurred **before the lockdown**.”deduced Sakura.

Hro reacted:“Oh, so it probably went like this! They **attacked Junko here** ,she tried to **block the knife with her arms** , and the blackened cut her throat, making her **bleed out on the floor**. ”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Clean Spot** > **bleed out on the floor**

“No, that’s wrong! ”

“Huh? But you said it yourself, the floor has been cleaned!”

“But the clean spot is too small for what you’ve described. If she was killed her, the spot would be far wider.”

“Then...maybe she was incapacitated first, then killed after?”

“No, it would still let out too much blood,even with a superficial weapon injury.”said Kyoko.

“I don’t see which goal it would fulfill to incapacitate her. Did she find an improvised weapon?”

Sakura frowned.“If we didn’t see suspicious spot anywhere else, then it’s probably not the case. Just a cover-up.”

I wonder what is the origin of the clean spot?

“ **Origin of Clean Spot ” added to the Truth Bullet section**

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Open Neck** **/** **Correctly Placed Nameplates** **/** **Blue Hairs** **/** **Fake Junko**

“Maybe we are looking to far into this.”said Leon.”After all, the clean spot could be a distraction, it’s not like there is anything else to prove it. ”

“ _**Yes,there is.**_ ”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Proof**_ _:_ **Blue Hairs** > **Yes,there is.**

“I found blue hairs on the junction between wall and floor.”

“Why would hair be in a place like that?” asked Asahina.

“One possibility is that Junko placed the hair knowing that the assailant wouldn’t know it was her’s, which may dissuade them from removing it. ” proposed Kyoko.

“And the color...”

“Is indeed more similar to “Junko’s” hairs than Sayaka’s,Leon.”

“Oh.Good.”

“Does that mean we went back to the beginning? We need to work harder to compensate!” said Kyotaka.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Missing Knife** **/** **Correctly Placed Nameplates** **/** **Sakura’s Testimony** **/** **Bloodied Knife**

Chihiro pensively put a finger on her chin.

“Perhaps we should try to figure how the blackened got the knife?”

“I don’t know if there is **much evidence to found**. After all, **a** **nybody could have gone to the kitchen to take a knife,** yes **?** ” said Celeste

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Sakura’s Testimony** > **not much evidence to be found.**

“I believe Sakura can help us with that.” I said.

“Thou are right. Me and Hina were in the dining hall last evening,until a few minutes before the lockdown. Though since Hina went to the bathroom for a minute and I accompanied her, I can’t be sure no one took a knife.”

Sayaka bit her lip.

“...I was in the kitchen during this intervall.”

Sakura didn’t look surprised.“I thought so.”

“Why so? You should trust your comrades more, Sakura!”

“A-A murder just happened, you rulebook-for-brain of a moron!”

“Rules are what make society work! Do not insult them!”

“O-Okay,then I guess I-I wont compare them to y-you!” smiled Toko.

“What a coincidence!”laughed Hiro.”That’s the universe way of saying he support us, I’m sure!

Now Sayaka can tell us if someone else came.”

Celeste lifted an eyebrow.“I didn’t know you were capable of sarcasm,Hiro.”

Byakuya rectified her:”Sadly, it was not sarcasm.”

Sakura fixed her gaze on me and Sayaka.“I am sorry, but I need to speak out.

Last night,Sayaka called me and Asahina for help. After gathering some medicals supplies,we went into my room,only to discover that Makoto had his hand pierced. And near him was a knife.

He refused to tell me who did this, but that in itself was all I needed. Sayaka is the one who harmed you, it is not?”

Asahina looked forlornly at the blue-haired girl.“I didn’t want to believe it, but...you were the only one who could have took a knife, isn’t it? What happened, Sayaka?”

Leon was sweating ,smiling nervously.“No way...Sayaka tried to..?”

I tried to interject. “I-I don’t think this is the good time to bring this up. We will tell you if we know a useful element when the time is right, but we may waste time by explaining everything.”

But Sayaka decided otherwise.“I swapped my and Makoto’s nameplates to deceive my target,I waited for Asahina and Sakura to leave and took a knife, I made Makoto go into Sakura’s room when he found out what I was planning and I was the one who injured him. We then left the knife in the room. ”

“What is the meaning of this,Sayaka?”asked Ishimaru.”You were one of the most serious student here. What went over you?”

Sayaka looked at the ground in shame.

Sakura intervened.“Now is not the time.After we finished healing Makoto’s injured hand, I took the knife and put it in the drawer, since I wanted to let time to Makoto and Sayaka for them to come clear about this.” she admitted,“and I didn’t thought that anyone would overhear us and plot a murder in such a short interval of time, especially considering I thought Makoto would lock this door too. I apologize to all of you.”

“I’m sorry,too. I should’ve locked the door...” I said.

“It’s okay ,Sakura and Makoto.”Asahina reassured her.”You couldn’t guess it would happen.”

Regardless,if the knife was in the drawer,only someone looking for it would find it. Better memorize this.

“ **Sayaka’s Knife” added to the Truth Bullet section**

  
  


_ **Truth bullets: Missing Knife** _ **/Sayaka’s Knife / Blue Hairs/ Clean Spot**

Byakuya spoke:“Yours excuses would be a lot more meaningful if you didn’t just place yourself in situation of prime suspect. If the _**only knife missing is the one Sayaka took**_ ,then it mean that you,Asahina ,Sayaka and Makoto **are the only one who knew where it was** and therefore could have used it. It is improbable that anyone else knew it was here. You didn’t precise it,but since you didn’t said it wasn’t yours ,I assume this is _**the knife you used we found**_ , isn’t it Sayaka?”

“There is not a lot of distinction between the knives, I just took the one **at the right, it’s not like there is a lot of knifes which were taken...** ”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Missing Knife** > **at the right, it’s not like there is a lot of knifes which were taken...**

“Wait!That can’t be right!”I realized.”If you’ve took the knife at the right ,Sayaka, how come there is a knife missing at the left and not at the right?”

“What? I’m certain this is not where I took it! What does this mean?”

“It mean that someone took a knife, then put it back at the place where your knife was missing.

So that mean I’m not the only one who had access to a knife!” I said.

“You could have done this yourself, don’t you?” said Byakuya.

“Uh...yes...but I’m not the only suspect!” I answered.

Asahina looked down.“But who is it?It can’t be Sayaka,since she attacked Makoto. “

_ **Truth bullets: Bruise on Neck/Asahina's Testimony/Sakura’s Testimony/Missing Knife** _

“It may very well be _**a distraction**_ to make us think this.” refuted Celeste.

“I don’t think so. Planning two murders with almost no time, showing you have a knife,and that you’re willing to murder...Too costly.” said Kyoko.

“Beside,”I intervened.”She seemed really convinced by my argument. I know she’s the Ultimate Pop Sensation, but unless she was lying since the beginning and just wanted to escape without care for her friends, it’s simply irrational to try to murder.”

Aoi resumed what she was saying. “It can’t be Sakura,since **she didn’t even went to the kitchen** . And it can’t be me either, **we were together the whole time**!

The only one left is Makoto ,since he had the key, but...it really can’t believe he would do it...”

Sayaka ,slowly looked up, determination overwriting guilt.”He could have killed me if he wanted, and no one would be the wiser. He is not an actor like me. I know he meant what he said to me.”

Celeste hand covered a (presumably fake) smile.”But it is _**the only possibility**_ ,isn’t it?”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Asahina's Testimony** > **we were together the whole time**

I looked sideways.“I’m sorry,Asahina,but...that’s simply not true. You said you went into the kitchen to make tea. So you have an occasion to take the knife.”

“B-but...I went back just after to see Sakura, she can confirm I didn’t have anything on me,right?”

Sakura’s expression tensed. Her eyes were closed.“I’m sorry ,Hina,but I can’t confirm such a thing.”

“Wait...it’s not like I could have killed anyone. I barely left...”

“It pain me to do this ,Asahina. But you left for several minutes, by your lonesome, when you learned they were donuts in the warehouse.”

“It’s cause they were so delicious! I couldn’t stop myself from eating some on the spot!Come on, don’t look at me like that, everyone!”

“It seem that like always, it’s the more innocents ones that are the more dangerous!A savy anime-viewer like me won’t be put off guard!” boasted Hifumi.

“It cannot be Hina.” stated Kyoko.

Really? I hope so!I don’t want to think Asahina could resort to murder. Then again,I thought the same with Sayaka.

“That’s really good,Kirigiri! But why?”

“Because the murder” everyone was fixed on Kyoko “occurred after the lockdown ” everyone stopped a second to think “Makoto Naegi.”

All their gaze were on me. Ashina was sweaty,looking like she didn’t want to believe, while Sayaka looked like she simply couldn’t , disbelief and denial in her eyes.

Except Hihiro’s. “Oh man! How could the blackened kill the victim after the lockdown!We will never figure this out!”

“Why did you withhold this information?”asked Byakuya.

“It is always good to let the blackened a chance to do a mistake.”

“Then I assume you believe the murder occurred like this:”Byakuya said.

_ **Truth bullets: Junko’s Wig/ Clean Junko’s Room/ The Lockdown/** _ _ **Sayaka’s Knife** _

“Makot waited for the night to arrive. He went back to Sakura’s room that he purposefully let unlock to muddy the water. He knocked to the false Junko’s room and unlocked her room. Using his apparent **acting skills** , he persuaded her to leave her room, perhaps pretending a murder occured. Then, under the menace of a **knife under her throat** , which may explain the clean spot ,or with an astute lie, he made her enter Sakura’s room,killed her, and **cut her arms** to confuse us and make it seem she wasn’t killed by surprise. He then went to the kitchen to move a knife to the empty space. Regarding the hair ,either **Junko placed them** ,or Makoto planted it to incriminate Sayaka.”

Hiro’s eyes lit up.“Oh,right! Makoto had the keys. That’s why there was a murder despite the fact that **everyone was locked inside after the lockdown**!”

“I swear I didn’t went out of my room!”I pleaded.

No...everyone was suspecting me...I need to prove my innocence!

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **The Lockdown** > **everyone was locked inside after the lockdown**

“Wait a second...We can’t be sure everyone was inside! After all, I didn’t verified if everyone was inside before locking the doors;only for Sayaka,Asahina and Sakura.”

“ **Imperfect Lockdown” added to the Truth Bullet section**

Celeste chuckled.“What a convenient explanation.”

“He’s right! I can confirm it!”cried out Sayaka.

“Not much of a leader, are you?” mockingly said Byakuya.

Sayaka clenched her teeth.“Leave him alone! I didn’t see you making sure everyone stayed grouped! It’s my fault he rushed the lockdown, and it’s my fault for not paying attention to this!”

“Ngghh!Was our progression lost again?” raged Hifumi.

“Well, I can attest that Sakura,Asahina,and Sayaka were in their rooms.”

“That’s way too many suspects.”said Leon.

“How are we fuckin’ supposed to know which one is the blackened?”asked Mondo.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ _ **Origin of Clena Spot/** _ _ **State of the Trash Room/Broken Crystal Ball/ Blue Hairs** _

“Is there any reason to think _**the blackened was cut**_?”pensively said Chihiro.

“W-why would they be cut? They’re the one with a knife!”said Toko.

“Maybe there is **blood on them**?”proposed Asahina.

“A **bruise** , perhaps?” said Sakura.

“Did anyone _**behave strangely**_ , last night? To anyone who may have noticed an unusual behavior, please speak up!” announced Kyotaka.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Confirmation**_ _:_ _**Origin of Clean Spot**_ > _**the blackened was cut**_

“I think you’re right,Chihiro. It’s very possible that the blackened was cut.”

_**Truth bullets:**_ _ **Fake Junko/Blue Hairs/ Cuts on Arms/ Imperfect Lockdown**_

“But like Toko said, why would the blackened be cut? Why would the victim _**be armed in the first place**_?”

“Not p-possible. We would _**see the cut**_.”said Toko.” _ **And the b-**_ _ **b**_ _ **lood**_.”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Confirmation**_ _:_ _**Fake Junko**_ > _**be armed in first place**_

“If “Junko” was an agent of Monokuma...then maybe she was ordered to kill someone.

She would need a weapon for this. “

”And even if she wasn’t,”said Byakuya”do you really believe no of us would try to kill someone to escape? Ignoring this possibility is simply foolish.”

“Anyway, who has a scar here?”

“I do have scars. But they are merely old wounds, and Makoto can attest I was locked in my room.”

“I’m afraid everyone will have to remove their clothes.”said Kyoko.

A fake smile was on Celestia’s face.“I refuse.”

“Then you will die, and us with you. If that can reassure you,I will be the only one the inspect the girls. Makoto,would you do the same for the boys? Ishimaru will inspect you, and...” she looked toward Chihiro but for some reason, switched to another girl.”Asahina will inspect me. Is that acceptable”

Not everyone was happy, but there was little choice and even Celeste finally accepted.

After checking out everyone and turning our head during the inspection of the opposite gender, it appeared that no one was cut. Sakura put her bandages back on.

“W-Why? W-We should have spotted the blackened! Scar don’t heal that easily,I know it!” complained Toko.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ _ **Bloodied Knife** _ _ **/** _ _ **Bruise on Neck** _ _ **/** _ _ **Blue Hairs/Bloodied Nail** _

“Perhaps **the blackened wasn’t cut**. In the end, nothing is certain.”said Kyoko.

“If **n-** **n** **one of the suspect were cut** , and if Junko’s injuries are **too severe for so little blood,** how c-come there is a clean spot?” asked Toko.

“If Junko was disarmed, there was **no way for her to cut anybody** I suppose...”said Chihiro.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Bloodied Nail** > **no way for her to cut anybody**

“Hold on...there was way for Junko to cut...look, her nails are bloodied.”

“Her nails are fake too, but that make them even sharper. And they seemed to be fixed quite solidly.”said Kyoko.

“But who would have been cut?” asked Toko.

If we suppose the cut was not under some underwear...then there is only on person who could have suffered it.

**Select someone**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**Junko**

“Junko had to cut herself.”

“W-what?That doesn’t m-make any sense!A-Are you making fun of me?”

“No ,it does. Because if Junko took the time to rip some of her hairs to give us evidences...then she probably was ready to cut herself to let blood the floor and perhaps on the blackened.”

“But we would have seen the cut on Junko’s body, no?” asked Asahina.

“Not if it was under one of the knife cut.”

Sakura nodded .“Their dedication is impressing.”

“Junko seemed to know what she was doing.”,noted Kyoko.”So perhaps she cut her arms or even her throat. A dangerous move, but perhaps she hoped it would dissuade her opponent from killing her. Or maybe she just wanted to help us find the culprit. Regardless, it’s coherent with the cuts and the clean spot size. ”

“What about the blood on clothes, then?”said Mondo.

“Maybe they got rid of it in the incinerator.”said Hifumi.

“Oh,yeah...who was in charge of it?”asked Asahina.

“Well, you see...”Hifumi eyes took a strange form.

“Hifumi was the one designated.” I explained.

“Hiiiiiiii!!!Please spare me,I’m not the one who done it!”

Hiro recapitulated:“So..it went like this: Hifumi **stayed outside his room** until **all the door** **s** **were locked**.

He encountered Junko,who had done the same. **Each one took a knife at the kitchen beforehand** ,

and **Hifumi hit Junko to neutralize her,** then **moved her to Sakura’s room**! ”

“There are so much things that don’t work in your little delusion. Why would they meet in the hallways.How would the second to got a knife do it without beign detected first. How would Hifumi incapacitate someone armed with a knife with only one punch,and why would he do it if he had a knife?” disdainfully said Byakuya.

“Hey!You prefer to go back to when everyone was a suspect? Like I was saying, **Hifumi then went back into his room**...”

Stop it,Hiro…

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **all the door were locked** > **Hifumi then went back into his room**

“It’s not possible,Hiro. Since all the doors were locked, except mine’s and Sakura’s.”

Ishimaru nodded.“He’s right! There was no way for anyone to go back into their room!”

“Perhaps they sneaked in during the breakfast?” suggested Mondo.

“I don’t think it’s possible, I seen everyone leave their rooms, except Sakura,but Asahina told me she had seen Sakura.” I said.

“Yep!”

“Perhaps by picking the doors?”

“Nope! Can’t break important material like door! That’s illegal,after all I put those lock for a reason, there is no fun in looking over tired peoples who don’t sleep because they’re not fun and take rotation to guard the doors!”said Monokuma.

“H-He can talk during class trial too?” asked a startled Chihiro.

“I don’t do it a lot.I’m very diligent about not extending this fanfiction too much!Who want a story full of nonsense babble? But if you find I was too much silent,don’t worry!I can made up for the time lost!”

“No,thank,please don’t importunate everyone because of me...” protested/begged Chihiro.

“How dare you suggest I would kill one of my dear student! Remember the rules: The Headmaster cannot directly hurt students who don’t hurt the progression of the game, nor lauch a class trial for them. And bears don’t break rules!”

“What?Why are ...are you answering to the question we had at the beginning of the trial?” I asked.

“Yes,Junko’s is effectively one of my agent! If you want to know why I ordered her to attack ,just ask me! Hey, why are you pursuing your discussion like you didn’t heard me? It’s like I was fifteen minutes in the future and arbitrarily decided to start a conversation with your past selves!”

“Please stop...”

“So, if you want my opinion, there is no need to assume that the murder occurred before the lockdown,since Makoto didn’t verify if the peoples were inside and anyway the time of death don’t correspond. No need to thank me!”

Kyoko was not pleased.“Let’s continue the dialog. ”

_**Truth bullets:Sakura’s Testimony/The Lockdown/Correctly Placed Nameplates/Broken Crystal Ball**_

Celestia put her hand in front of her mouth:”Once again,it seem that _**only Makoto could have done it.**_ ”

Why did I thought taking the keys would be a good idea?

“Is there really no way for the killer to _**get their key**_?” asked Chihiro.

“Were any _**key missing**_?” asked Mondo.

“No that I have noticed...and this morning none were missing.”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ _**The Lockdown**_ > _**get their keys**_

“Oh no...there was a way for anyone who stayed outside during the lockdown to get their keys...”

Leon was baffled.“What? How?!”

“I...didn’t lock my own door.”

“Are you stupid, dude?”

“I’m sorry...I thought everyone was locked, and… I had a hard day.”

“We all had a hard day!”

Sayaka shot daggers at Leon.

“Unlike Makoto,I don’t think anybody tried to kill you, Leon.”she said with a very cold voice.

I put my hands in front of me.

“Let’s not fight, please. I won’t make this mistake again. I should have thought a little more about this beforehand, to be able to act intelligently when tired.”

“Is there any other evidence it happened?After all,Sayaka told us she swapped the nameplates,so perhaps it would have been enough to protect the keys?” asked Chihiro.

Suddenly,something striked me.

I attracted Sayaka’s attention.“Sayaka?”

“Yes?”

“Did you do anything with the nameplates this morning?”

_**Truth bullets:Correctly Placed Nameplates/ Clean Junko’s Room/ Imperfect Lockdown/**_

“No, **I didn’t touch them**. They should be **as you left them**. Why?”

“And last night,what did you do when you left?”

She wringed her hands.“...I went in the kitchen, **asked Sakura and Asahina to help me heal a knife cut.** We searched in the kitchen to find something to help,then in the warehouse,but **there was nothing helpful.** We then went into our room and...you know the rest.”

“Did you stay grouped?”

“Yes, **always**.”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Correctly Placed Nameplates** > **as you left them**

“This is the proof!The nameplates should still be as Sayaka left them. But this morning,they were back at their original emplacement. It mean the killer noticed the swap.”

“But why would the killer do that? They basically outed that they took the key!” remarqued Leon.

“Perhaps they thought Junko swapped the nameplates to protect her comrades if she was killed,to prevent her would-be-victim from entering Makoto’s room,taking the keys and interfering with evidences or planting false ones. Realizing that,maybe they elected to put them back to their supposed location to avoid attracting attention.” speculated Kyoko.

“Goddammit! Then we’re goin’ back to square one one more time?! ” said an angered Mondo.

“Swearing won’t help us in this situation! Please restrain your language!” said Kyotaka.

“Swearing? You think I was swearing? I will show you what it does when I swear.”

_**Truth bullets:**_

Kyoko fingers combed trough her hairs.“No, you will not, because we are currently in the middle of a murder case. Now this information bring another problem: couldn’t anybody have **took the key from Hifumi?** ”

“No,I don’t think so.”said the person concerned.”You see, I spent the night writing scenario for futures doujin, since I lacked material for actually drawing. Kyoko already asked his question to me before. It helped me go over the current lack of 2D.” he said sadly.

“Sorry about that ,Makoto.I knew my attack toward you was underhanded,but I hoped that the true culprit would take this occasion to strike,giving me a chance to unmask him.” apologized Kyoko.

Sayaka jumped to my defense now that some of the suspicion toward me was cleared.“And since Makoto couldn’t have taken your key, _**you’re the only one who could have activated the incinerator**_.”

A very offensive defense…

“That’s not true! Leon could have done it! He’s the Ultimate Baseball Star! He could have **thrown** **something** to activate the incinerator, then **threw his clothes** in it!

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ _**State of the Trash Room**_ > **throwed something**

“That’s not possible ,Hifumi. There are glass shards on the floor,but shards wouldn’t be enough to activate anything, and the incinerator isn’t activated...it’s tempting to believe something was launched and made those shards, but we found nothing like that in the room.So,unless he madee the projectile bounce somehow,I do,n’t think that’s it.” I countered.

“So, if we go back to our previous scenario, Hifumi in addition took **his keys** in Makoto’s unlocked room.”said Mondo.

“I went to sleep very fast, so it’s not impossible...”

“He then **locked himself** inside his own room. He just had to wait for Makoto to **unlock him** , and he could pass for an innocent bystander.” continued Leon.

“ **I didn’t do it**! I swear on anime!”cried a crying Hifumi.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ _**unlock him**_ > **locked himself**

“There is a problem with this scenario. How was I supposed to unlock him if he had his keys? _”_ _I remarked._

“Uhhh...I didn’t thought about that.” admitted Leon.

“So _**everyone was in their rooms**_ when you opened?” asked Celeste.

“Well, not everyone...I didn’t see Sakura. But Asahina told me she was in her room. You confirm,Asahina?”

She looked a little nervous. “Well...she closed the bathroom door to be more at peace when meditating, and I was blindfolded and with earplugs,to help me with my meditation.

But Makoto can attest he locked us in my room during nightime, so...”

“Yeah...It’s the **assailant who had** **the keys**!” said Hiro.

“It’s **not like anyone could unlock their doors.** ”said Mondo.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **assailant who** **had** **the keys** > **not like anyone could** **unlock the door**

“Wait...if the assailant had thy keys...then what forbid him from opening anybody’s door?”

Hiro intervened. “Oh...I get it! The blackened opened Junko’s door with the keys, took her out elsewhere after killing her so we don’t know they had they key, and… the rest is history.”

“But that doesn’t solve our problem: how would they lock themselves in their room?”

For the blackned to leave their rooms after being locked, only on person could have the key.

**Select someone:**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“ **Junko Enoshima”**

And the door of one person chamber had to be opened for us to believe the blackened was still in their rooms when Makoto opened their doors:

**Select someone:**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“ **Asahina Aoi”**

“What if Junko opened Asahina’s room during the night, but was confronted by Sakura instead?”

“What? No, that’s not it! ”protested Hina. “If they fought here, it would’ve waked me up!”

“Sakura is the Ultimate Martial Artist. She had both the capacity to neutralize anybody in one move, and I assume she would never be caught by surprise, even during her sleep. She would’ve heard the door open.”said Byakuya.”We can’t outright reject the possibility that they left the room before the fight or managed to quiet and quick about it.”

_**Truth bullets:**_ _ **Sayaka’s Knife/Bloodied Knife/Bruise on Neck/**_ _ **Cuts on Arms**_

“Then how did Junko manage to **cut herself** and to rip her hairs? It doesn’t make sense!” protested Asahina.

“Perhaps she tried to _**flee**_ when she saw Sakura?” suggested an uncomfortable Chihiro.

She continued.“Perhaps she was then _**hit**_ and that it was when she cut herself to let evidences behind.”

“If _Sakura_ _**strangled Junko**_ and took her right wrist, she would be incapacitated silently, but it would let her one hand free to cut herself and leave evidences behind. The lesion on the throat would be **hidden by the cut**.”

“And why would Junko cut her throat and not Sakura’s in this situation?!”

“The simple fact that Junko cut herself and not Sakura prove that she was distant from her at the moment. Perhaps she was **thrown by Sakura** when she tried to cut her, and used this time to leave the evidences. “said Byakuya.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Bruise on Neck > **_**strangled Junko**_

“I agree with Byakuya.”

Mondo was displeased.“What? You choose this smug asshole over Sakura or me? Seriously?”

“I-it’s not like that!But there is a bruise on Junko’s neck...so it fit.”

“It seem like your “friend” is in reality a murderer,Aoi.” taunted Byakuya.

“She was in my room just before the announcement! And Makoto had the key!”

“She could easily have used your blind trust to unlock the door, put the key back in Makoto’s room,and hid herself, for instance, in the toilet. Once she heard all of us walk past,she would just have to pretend she just left Asahina’s room. ”

_**Truth bullets:Imperfect Lockdown/Missing Knife/Clean Junko’s Room/Broken Crystal**_

“Nope! Don’t make sense! She **couldn’t have know how late Makoto would be** , I could have checked anytime!” stubornly peristed Asahina.

“But she wasn’t aware. She had every reason to think he **would wake up normally**.”

Asahaina tried to regain some composure.“Okay! Then how do you explain **her clothes are not bloody**? She had nooo way to activate the incinerator!”

“ **I’m not the only one who can throw things**!”protested Leon.

“And throw what? There **was nothing to throw**! Else, we would've found it!” resumed Hina.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Broken Crystal Ball** > **was nothing to throw**

“The crystal ball.”

“What?”

“Yashuiro told me it was broken. And there are shard and pieces of glass on the floor;. So...it was probably what was thrown.”

“What? That can’t be it! My ball is in crystal. The guy who sold it to me promised!”

Celestia sighed.“Yasuhiro, hypothetically speaking, if you knew your predictions were wrong but that peoples were willing to pay for it if you pretended that they were true, would you do it?”

“My predictions are NOT bogus! And yeah, I’m kinda out of organs to sell right now...”

What. The disgust and horror of everyone was clear.

“Forget I said anything.”

Hina was showing signs of anger.“That doesn’t solve the problem! If Sakura thrown it, how come it isn’t in the trash room! Come on, explain that to me!”

It was true. I had no explanation for this.

Sakura seemed to be so calm, serious and responsible. I didn’t want to believe she’d be ready to kill an innocent. I furtively looked at her. Her eyes were closed, her expression even more serious than usual. Her bandaged arms were crossed. Her silence resonated like an admission, but she looked too unmoved by the accusation to feel like the culprit.

**What could she have used to fetch the crystal ball back after launching it?**

**Anagram** : nbaaegd

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“bandage”

**Here’s the answer!**

“She used her bandages.”

Asahina sweated .“What?”

“She enrolled her bandages around the ball. It wouldn’t stop the ball from breaking, but she she would just have to pull them to get the damaged ball back.”

“...There still are things that don’t fit! What is the point of hiding the body for instance? In her own room, nothing less! This is beyond stupid! Come on,Sakura ,say something! Defend yourself!”

**Why would Sakura need to hide the body?**

**Anagram** : ts onetuo ak

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“to sneak out”

**Here’s the answer!**

“Because she couldn’t have sneaked out of the toilets otherwise. If we found evidences of a murder...we would have immediately begun to inspect the scene of the crime. And she would not have been able to leave the toilets.”

“Stop it.STOP IT. Sakura,PLEASE,tell them they’re wrong!”

“...Do you have any other evidence?” said person asked.

“Hum...”

_**Truth bullets:Missing Knife/Sayaka’s Knife/Bruise on Neck/State of the Trash Room**_

Sakura pursued.“It could still be you, Makoto. The main reason you’re targeting me is because I supposedly had a way to have they. In the end, **my door wasn’t locked** , and **anybody could have took the knife** and **moved the body here**. We do not have an explanation as to how you could have activated the incinerator, but the main reason of your suspicion is based on the fact **I could have been outside** this night. If Junko somehow **failed to put blood on you** , **your only alibi fall**.”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Sayaka’s Knife** > **anybody could’ve took the knife**

“You put the knife in the drawer. Only someone looking for it could’ve found it. As a matter of fact, everything seem to indicate the blackened was in a rush; how would the murderer knew about the empty room and the knife in it?”

“I’m sorry, but thou has access to these informations too,Makoto. ”

I tried to remember anything else who could prove my innocence, but…

“Everyone, I realized something.”

“Yes?”

“This morning, the nameplates in front of the doors were perfectly adjusted. But that doesn’t fit! They should be slightly turned.”

“Why so?”asked Byakuya.”And how would that help you,you could be lying.”

“I kept it a secret until this point because I didn’t want Monkuma to know, but...last night, I was studying the nameplates, because I had seen a mark on their back. It seemed like Monokuma removed something which could help us determine its provenance. However, the surface which was covered probably wasn’t treated, because water let a mark on it. And if I didn’t told you, it’s because Monokuma menaced me on my tablet. He told me to not reveal the secret or to suffer the consequences. But now, I have no other options.

I put the nameplates back the morning and slightly misplaced them, but I guess the blackened thought it was his fault and replaced it during the investigation. And…

I seen someone next to a nameplate. I didn’t thought much as first but they were probably moving the nameplate. Sayaka was next to me, so she can confirm. “

Luckily ,Sayaka trusted me enough to continue the lie.“Yes, I confirm . I thought she was just investigating, but it appear she was not...”

Sakura stopped me, an intense look on her face“What make you believe another person didn’t put the nameplates in place during the night? Junko could very well have swapped them, and the blackened could have put them back.

“Because I kept the nameplates hidden on me this night and put them only this morning.”

Sayaka face showed intense concentration.“Wait, that can’t be right. This is a lie!”

“Why?”

“The nameplates were still here this night!”

“And how do you know this?”

“Because...because I...”

“Because their story don’t make sense! How could the blackened think they were the one responsible for the misaligned nameplate if the nameplates were not there in the first place ?”

protested Sakura.

“It’s true. I invented the story. But the objective has been accomplished! Sakura revealed that she knew the nameplates were still here this night!

So let’s recapitulate what happened last night.

Junko Enoshima,or rather her impersonator, planned to murder one of us. She waited outside her room for me to lock the doors, then took a knife at the kitchen, the one at the utmost left.

She then tried to steal my keys by entering my unlocked room. Sayaka had previously swapped the nameplates, but she figured out where my door was anyway. If my room was locked, she probably would have killed me instead the following morning.

She took Asahina’s key, and opened her room. Little did she know that Sakura was sleeping in this room, at the demand of Asahina. Sakura detected the intruder and caught her by the throat ,then took hold of her right hand before she could react.

She then went out of the room to make sure to not wake up Hina. Junko probably tried to make Sakura bleed with her left hand, but was thrown before achieving her goal.

Wasting no time,she still managed to rip off her hairs and to cut herself in order to put blood on Sakura’s, hoping to make her reconsider her murder.

But the warrior wasn’t going to abandon for so little. She forcefully put Junko in her unlocked room, took the knife in the drawer, and stabbed her in the throat, killing her, obfuscating the swollen throat a little. She then slashed her arms to mask to mask the mark of Junko’s nails, while also making it looks like Junko was neutralized with a weapon, not with bare hands.

She remarked that the nameplates has been switched, perhaps thanks to the knowledge that Junko got the key somewhere and that Makoto’s room couldn’t be locked, and designed a plan to make it look like she was locked inside like everyone else. She went back in Asahina’s bed,locked the door, and waited.

She knew Hina habitually waked up early. A little before the 7:00 AM ringtone, she proposed Asahina a seance of meditation ,going as far as to blindfold and earplug her,while asking her to not bother her during her own meditation, even if Makoto arrived.

She then went out of the room, locked it, put the key back in Makoto’s room,and hid in a place were she could hear peoples in the corridor.The toilets fit the requirements.

I put more time than expected to wake up, but I did unlock all the door, including Asahina’s who thought you were still in the toilets of her own room. Once Sakura heard all of us leave our room, she left her hiding spot and met us in the dining all, pretending to have just stopped her meditation.

But unbeknownst to all of us,she had actually murdered the fake Junko a few hours ago.

Isn’t that right,Sakura Ogami,the Ultimate Martial Artist?

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

“Upupupupu!Well,if this isn’t an interesting development! Sakura Oogami,the Ultimate Martial Artist, supposedly devoted to protecting the weak, instead decided to commit murder for her own benefit!  
Is it truly what happened? Well,it’s for you to judge, and for me to know! Because it’s voting time!”  
“Wait!Not yet!” implored Asahina.Why?Why would you do this,Sakura ?”  
Sakura looked like she was angry with herself.“...I am sorry,Hin-Asahina.”  
“They are right. There is no need to delay this any further. ” said calmly said Sakura.But she couldn’t look her in the eyes.”It is only just.”  
“Please do not vote for Sakura!” I said.  
“...You are the one who uncovered her,Makoto. Why would we do such a thing?She’s the blackened.” asked Kyoko.  
“This is not a reason to send her to her death!”  
“If we do not do it,”said Celeste,”then we will be the one who will die. Do you wish such a scenario?” she smiled sweetly.  
“No, that’s wrong! ”  
Celeste ticked.“Did you not remember what Monokuma said? If we do not vote for the blackened, we will all be executed. Do you not remember it? Is your memory that lacking?”   
“He said it,it’s true. But I don’t believe it ! If Monokuma wanted us to be dead,he would have killed us already ! His threat is nothing but a bluff to force us to vote for someone !

  
Sakura looked surprised, and shook her head.“Makoto,there is no need for this. I killed an of your comrades. Do not let your compassion blind you. “   
“Your answer just comfort me in my decision. Please, vote for me instead !»  
I was scared. What if Monokuma changed the rules and decided to just kill the one wrongly accused ? But I couldn’t think about that. Sakura clearly showed that she had a profound distaste toward what she had done, and she didn’t look like the kind of person who would throw away a life for nothing. Sayaka could have been in Sakura’s place. And I didn’t think that any of them deserved to die.  
“Seeking troubles, you are!Are you suure you want to be voted for ? You’re probably not gonna like what happen next ! » menaced Monokuma.  
“ No !Please don’t do this,Makoto!If you really don’t want to vote for Sakura...then vote for me instead ! ” asked Sayaka.   
If I’m not ready to sacrifice Sakura,I will certainly not abandon you,Sayaka.  
Sakura intervened.“I repeat,there is no need for anyone else to be harmed. To think you would go that far for saving a murderer...”   
“Hum HUM!I believe I said it was VOTING TIME !You only have ten seconds left,and not voting is ground for TERMINATION !” spit an angry Monokuma,arms raised.  
I prepared myself to speak,but Kyoko,who was lookind at me,stole the words from my mouth.  
“Those words aren’t very convincing, given you just confirmed that your unwillingness to kill all of us directly was your weak point .“  
“I am Monokuma!I don’t have weak points ! Only strong ones!And my strongest is my absolute willingness to punish anyone who defy me, even if their attempt are despairfully inefficient as well as doomed to fail !“  
“And what if everyone defy you ?“ asked Sayaka.“I doubt that thou are going to kill everyone,and I also doubt you expect us to not confront a psychopat and a sadist who push us to kill each others . »  
Asahina took a determined and energetic expression.« Yeah!I’m not going to let you control me ! »  
« I-I’m not very strong but...I won’t submit to Monokuma,either ! »said a scared but determined Chihiro.  
« We will never succumb to selfishness ! Justice will always prevail !« boasted Ishimaru.  
Sakura intervened : «I know thou have no reason to trust me. I already let Monokuma influence me once. It will not happen happen twice... » she took a somber tone.”...even if my death is to be the reason .»  
«I will find the truth about this place and your identity,Monokuma.Do not count on me for giving up. » affirmed Kyoko.It earned her an interrogative then amused glare from Monokuma.  
«I have seen enough fiction to know what I’m supposed to do!I’m in ! » assured Hifumi. «  
« I don’t know why the fuckin’ bear thought I would suck up to him,but I know for a fact that he’s frickin’ wrong. »  
Leon tightened his grip.« No way I’m staying locked here or murdering an innocent ,asshole!I’m not going to let you have your way ! »   
« Oh,you must feel reeeaaaally smart,all of you!Well we’ll see if you still feel smart when I kill Makoto ! »  
« W-what ? »I sweatdroped.   
« Hmf. I expected better of you. I knew you had no intention to kill all of us,but still, I thought for a moment that you had no intention to lie to us ;yet,seeing how you are changing the rules at your advantages...how are we supposed to take this supposed escape promise seriously ?» reacted Byakuya.  
«Well maybe he shouldn’t have provoked me in the first place!Rest assured that,starting now,all my threats will be 100% legit,recession-proof,insured threat ! Speaking of that,here’s a new threat : if you vote for Makoto,since he is the wrong person,not only the one you voted for will be executed ,but this person will have to choose someone else to be executed . Not counting the blackened ,of course ! »His eyes glowed menacingly.  
«And not counting Makoto...since you cannot vote for a corpse either ! »   
« Don’t you dare ! » screamed Sayaka,hatred and despair in her voice.  
« What’s the point of trying to survive if you won’t even let us a chance to defeat you ?What’s even the point of investigating? » Asahina clenched her knuckles.  
«I refuse to take part in this if you kill him!I will do everything in my power to sabotage this ! »  
«Monokuma is certainly not ready to let us die due to lack of investigating .» said Sakura ; « We risk nothing if we do not yield. And if we were to give him any ground, we would forsake any chance of leaving this place unscathed, as well as any leverage we could use to prevent Monokuma from cheating.»  
« I agree! We will not abandon our classmate ! » declared Ishimaru.  
The mechanical bear stayed silent.  
I was sweating.   
« How about a compromise? I won’t punish your reckless rebel... »   
Relieved.I let our a breath.  
«... if you prove to me that you’re ready to risk your lives to save him !»  
« What do you mean by that ? »asked Hifumi.  
« It mean that I’m going to give Makoto a chance to escape. If he does it...then I’m going execute two of you. Of course,if you don’t want to give Makoto this chance to betray you,you will not be in the pool of potential victims. So ? Still interested ?»  
«Wait...you mean he could just betray us and have two of us executed ? »asked Leon.  
Hifumi was showing signs of wariness ,his head distant.«Can we be sure Mr. Naegi can resist the temptation of a free escape? »  
Hina defended me.« He don’t look like he will betray us. Do you really feel like he is a bad guy ? »   
« You will never be sure of this. I’m the living proof that you can’t know what is the mind of someone else with just a face. Even Makoto himself may not know what he would do if given the ability to escape.» warned Celeste.  
« He’s not going to betray us ! He could have killed me and escaped, without anyone knowing! And at this moment, he didn’t knew it would supposedly lead to all of us dying. If he just avenged himself, nobody would have blamed him. Instead, he forgave me. So your accusations don’t make sense, Celeste.»  
«Less speaking ! »interrupted Monokuma. « More voting ! Vote for Makoto if you want to vote against Makoto !Else,vote for yourself.»   
«Do not count on me to risk my life for a talentless student. »declared Byakuya.  
My breath is ragged. I feel like every second resonate like a gong being hitten.   
Out of the corner of my eye,I see Sayaka hand touch her own face on her screen .  
I don’t see for who voted Hifumi.  
Celeste and Byakuya won’t vote in my favor. Asahina and Sayaka probably will. Kyotaka and Chihiro too. Perhaps Sakura will. I don’t see Toko trusting me, and I’m not sure Mondo and Leon are ready to put their lives into my hands.   
Seconds flows,punctuated by the votes of everyone on whether I will live or die.  
A slot machine appear. And the faces on it began to turn. Quickly at first,then it begin to slow.  
Hiro,Hi na,S a y a k a,M E.  
And it stopped.  
It felt like a nightmare.  
…  
« Fine. You’re despairingly inobedient, Makoto is unbelievably naive, and I’m hopelessly generous. But this is the last time I give in to your demands. The next time you defy me...well I’m pretty sure I can even find a way to punish you without witholding the privilege of being murdered by your own classmates .Puhuhuh ! »  
« What?!But...it stopped on me...»  
« Mmh?But it didn’t display guilty!It didn’t emit sound!It didn’t display money falling,or even launched confetti ! Honestly,if you showed a little more attention to the next class trial,you could have remarked it easily. Though if you insist, I can execute you anyway. Ahahahahahaa !!!»  
« You -! »  
And like that,he deactivated.  
Shaking with repressed fear and relief,I slumped on the wooden support.  
Sayaka put her hand on mine,both worried and relieved.  
Sakura showed a mix of satisfaction and grimness.  
But the others were still on edge.Because…  
« So Makoto?What will you choose ?But be aware...if you stay here, and that you try to get them to stop murders or to rebel against me...I WILL punish you. »  
I really, really didn’t want be in position of dying again. It was much more easier to put myself in danger before confronting the consequence and feeling the fear.  
But there was no way I was going to betray the trust they put in me, especially considering Monokuma may kill me even if I did so and show to the world what I had done.  
“I refuse to give up. I will stay here.”


	7. Chapter 7

“I refuse to give up. I will stay here.”All the tension in the air disappeared.  
“Fufufu!I knew it! I have enough experience to know that the power of friendship can overcome any trial!” boasted Hifumi.  
“Then why are you all sweaty, dude?”asked Hiro.  
“It’s to increase the tension, obviously!” countered a now even sweatier otaku.  
“Were there peoples who didn’t vote in favor of Makoto?” asked Kirigiri. “Leon,for instance,for what outcome did you vote?”  
“What?Uh,yeah,obviously ,I voted for...against...to trust Makoto!”  
“Y-yeah,me too!I swear!Beside,everyone else voted for him,so it’s not like it matter!” said Hiro with a begging voice, holding his hands in a prayer-like position.   
Sayaka didn’t look pleased. As for I, I was a little nervous as I was seeing my margin of security melting like snow under sun, like a small layer of ice separating me from the cold death under.   
A fitting metaphor, for I didn’t know if I was feeling too warm or too cold.  
“I didn’t vote for him, of course. I wouldn’t endanger my life for someone so replaceable. And by “didn’t for him”,I obviously mean “didn’t vote in his favor” . ” affirmed Byakuya, earning a hateful glare from Sayaka and the apparent disapproval of the majority of the class.  
“Of course,I knew Makoto wouldn’t betray us. As the Ultimate Gambler,I can spot a liar. But it is imprudent for you to make such a reckless move, understood?”   
“W-what?I-is it so wrong of me to d-dont want to put my life in the hand of someone I-I don’t even know? He probably hate me anyway!”   
“I didn’t vote for him. A man don’t throw someone under the bus just because he’s fuckin’ scared.”  
“It told you all.”hissed Sayaka.”He could have killed me if he wanted .”  
Asahina sweated “I have some doubt about the sincerity of some peoples here...”   
“And rightly so!!!” intervened Monokuma.  
“Whhaaa!Weren’t you asleep or something?” asked Hiro.  
“I am an excellent sleeper! I go to sleep when I feel it is good and wake up at the optimal moment!It’s not up to you to decide whenever I rest or wake! It’s up to me, and also the guy with my remote!But it is actually a guy?”  
“Do you actually have anything to say?”I asked.  
“Absolutely! And it is that only seven of you voted to save Makoto!”  
“What?”   
My mind and my face went blank. I-it was this close?  
“I do not believe you,you lying animatronic! As you can see, almost none of our comrade voted against Makoto!”  
You’re far too trusting ,Ishimaru.  
“If I’m lying,how come Makoto didn’t loose? If I’m lying how come that only six students trusted the implicit message of their dear headmaster to get rid of this little rebel! If I’m lying,how come that I’m a teddy bear!”  
“I don’t think that the last part of your sentence made any sense...” remarked Chihiro.  
“That’s the point!How could a teddy bear lie? That doesn’t make sense.”  
“B-because you’re not a bear?” risked the programmer.  
“Because I’m not a bear!I’m Monokuma! Anyway,good luck figuring out who lied. Upupupupupu!”  
The mechanical bear shut off again.  
“I think it’s rather obvious that Leon and Hiro were lying.” said Kyoko.  
“What is less obvious, is that Hifumi and Kyoko were lying as well.” smiled Celeste.  
“What?I swear I didn’t! I may have been hesitant at first,but I overcame this doubt!” protested Hifumi.  
“I believe you are attacking peoples to divert attention from your own lie,Celeste.”  
“And I believe you know that I’m saying the truth,Kyoko.”  
“Please, don’t fight!”asked Chihiro.  
“Yeah, we’re all alive, and that’s what important, right? Maybe Monokuma didn’t lie about the result since he knew we would ask proofs, but lied about the number to put us against each others.”  
“Agreed! Conflict will solve nothing!” supported the Moral Compass.   
“Hey Sakura...” asked Asahina in a voice hinting sadness and the faintest trace of fear. “Why did you do it?...”  
“Yeah,are we just gonna forget that she offed one of us?I mean,maybe “Junko” wasn’t one of us,but she didn’t knew that!” said Leon.  
Sakura looked away,ashamed.“I am so sorry,Asahina...Please believe me when I say that I did it only because I was convinced that Monokuma wasn’t going to hurt anybody if you figured that I was the culprit..”  
“But what if we didn’t find out it was you?”protested Hina.  
“Monokuma is the one who asked me to commit murder, and he had every interest in making sure the murder was solved. If he didn’t ask me to let some evidences behind, then I assume it mean that he had other ways to obtain his desired outcome, whether by giving hints,by having an agent gifted with the knowledge of the murderer inside us, of simply by knowing you would be able to solve this case.”  
“Hold on!”protested Monokuma.” I can’t let you slander my honor like this!My trials are fair and square! I didn’t even gave you tablet with tips on it and “missing evidences” that just gave away what the blackened tried to tamper with. Why, it would be a shame if you were able to get tips from me because ,let’s say,the time of a murder was missing. No one would want to play my game anymore! So I didn’t.”  
“Wait,”I asked,”Monokuma asked you to do it?”  
“Yes. He threatened to destroy my family’s dojo. I do not expect you to understand, but for my family, protecting our dojo is a sacred duty. It is the incarnation of our dedication to martial arts,of our dignity, and the mere idea that we could let it be destroyed when it stood undamaged for three hundred years, protected by my family...we never even let the possibility enter our mind. Me included. So when someone entered Hina’s room with the intention to kill her...I simply couldn’t let this occasion go. I am deeply sorry. Even if Junko ended up being an impostor, it is not a reason to tolerate my actions. I perfectly understand if you wish to take measures against me.”  
“I don’t think it is necessary...”I said.”Nothing would’ve happened if we stayed in groups ,if I verified that everyone was locked and if I locked my door .Beside ,you’re sorry about it and you won’t do it again, right?”  
“She could be lying to make us complacent about her. She’s far more dangerous than any of us,and if she really feel guilty, then it’s to her to show her goodwill. Furthermore, she murdered one person,and for all we know she may have been ready to sacrifice all of us. If you’re so lenient with peoples endangering your life, don’t act surprised when it loose it’s value.”vindictively answered Byakuya.” We should lock her in her door.”  
Asahina looked shocked.   
I expected her to defend Sakura,but she did nothing.  
“T-that’s too harsh!”protested Chihiro,tear-eyed.”Who know how long we will stay here!”  
“I abide by these terms. You do not have to worry about me,Chihiro.” reassured him Sakura.  
But Chihiro wasn’t convinced.  
I felt like this was unnecessary, but seeing even Sakura was okay with it...I could always discuss the terms later. I made a last attempt.  
“She’s strong enough to resist. If she was really dangerous, she wouldn’t cooperate. Plus,if we do that,not only will she not be able to help us for our domestic and guarding tasks,but if we need her help to escape and suddenly unlock her,it will draw the attention of the mastermind.”  
Byakuya and Celeeste didn’t look entirely convinced,but the rest of the class semmed to find my argument sound.  
“And what about Sayaka?” asked Leon.  
“She won’t do it again. I-if she still wanted to,I would be dead.I already explained her why murder would solve nothing ,and I will explain to you too later. Beside,her attempt was just after she seen her motive video. It’s understandable that she was shaken, and we shouldn’t act like it represent how she behave normally.”  
“I-I think you need to be a little more than j-just shaken to go and try to m-murder someone!”protested Toko.  
Sayaka did not respond to the accusation and played with the hem of her skirt.  
“Enough with these accusations!We should go to our room; we need to relax after this tense trial. A healthy body with an healthy mind!” proclaimed Ishimaru.  
I think that’s supposed to be the opposite.  
“Agreed.”said Celeste.”All of this agitation tired me.”  
One by one, the others left the room. Only Sayaka,Sakura and me were left.  
I was going to follow them, but Ogami stopped me.  
“Thank you infinitely, Makoto. I will not forget the debt I owe to you, and I will not take your forgiveness for granted. If your ever need my help, do not hesitate.”  
I was a little hesitant.  
“But what if Monokuma threaten your dojo again?”  
“Then he will have proven that he will never be satisfied and will keep asking more of me. I have already disgraced my family name enough as it is. Honor is worth more than a building, and our reputation will suffer far more from what I have already done than by the loss of it.”  
“That’s good...your help may be very useful.”  
But...with the collar and the room probably bugged with microphone, I shouldn't expand too much on the subject. Regardless, if I ever need to bust a door or to neutralize the mastermind, I know who to ask. Perhaps throw something at them? Though Mondo too may be able to, or even Leon.  
“I will be going now. Thank again,Makoto.”  
But I noticed Sayaka looking toward us with hesitation, fidgeting.  
“Hum, perhaps you can go alone?Sayaka looks like she have something to say to me. The others are together and I will join you soon,so it’s not risky at all.”  
Sakura looked a little surprised by my decision to trust her again, due to how it ended last time I let peoples unaccounted for,but...“...Very well. I’m sure Sayaka have a lot to tell you.”  
With that, she left.  
I approached Sayaka.  
“So, is there something you want to tell me? I noticed you standing in the corner...”  
She clasped her hands together.  
“Hum,yes,it’s...it’s-”  
She suddenly went on her knee and bowed before me.  
“Wh-?”  
“I wanted to apologize...for what I’ve done. I didn’t get the time the apologize yesterday and during the trial, and I...I didn’t have the courage to do it in front of everyone this morning.   
So please, forgive me. I will do anything you want. I jut don’t want you to hate me. I’m sorry!”  
She began to cry.  
“I-I don’t hate you ,Sayaka.”  
I didn’t knew what to do. I got on my knees too, and put one of my hand on her shoulder, the palm of the other pressing against her fingers.  
“I just want to help you.”  
“Why?!Why do you keep being so forgiving? I asked you to help me leave this place...while I wasn’t even willing to not betray you, and still...I don’t deserve to be forgiven.”  
My fingers intertwined with hers. I looked at her ,her eyes covered by her hairs.  
“Then you are the one who didn’t forgive yourself. And that show that you are a good person. But you don’t have to suffer anymore. As long as you’re ready to atone, then it’s okay. You have all your life to make up for your mistakes.”  
Her deep blues eyes were fixed on mines, glinting with tears.  
In a sob, she hugged me. I could feel her body shake while she pressed on me.  
I hugged her back after a small moment and tentatively touched one of her strand of hair.  
She didn’t react to it other than pressing her head in my hand a little, so I dared move my hand a little higher, my palm touching her cheek.  
“I know you wouldn’t have done it normally. And that you worked really hard for your dream.  
I can’t pretend I know how it feel to see so many peoples you forged such a strong bond with in danger...but even with just my sister, I can understand why you would feel like you had no choice. If I was in your position...” I ruffled her hairs a little.“...then I don’t know if I would have acted differently than you. The only reason you were able to try to murder someone...” I hugged her with my two arms and closed my eyes. “...is because you’re expecting a lot from yourself. Not because you’re not asking enough.”  
She stayed in my arms some times. The situation was so similar than the last time yet so different.  
Some tears dripped down my eyes during this time. I realized I yearned for physical contact and evacuate the stress I accumulated in this awful killing game.  
Finally, she released me. She wiped a tear under her left eye. Another stayed untended for and rolled down her right cheek. I dried it with my finger.   
“...I’m gonna head back to my room, okay? You can go talk to me anytime.”  
“Okay...sorry again Makoto...”  
I smiled.“A thank you is worth a thousand sorry, don’t you think?”  
A tiny smile replaced her surprised expression.  
“I guess you’re right. So...thank you Makoto.”  
With this last exchange ,we left the courtroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Monokuma Theater

*curtain open*

I know what you’re thinking. I am an evil bear. You’re 100% sure of that.  
But it is really reasonable to be certain of something?  
What if I had a good reason?  
What if I lied about being a bear?  
What if this is just a simulation filled with NPC?  
What if all your friends are secretly really happy about everything that I do to them?  
If you’re one-hundred percent sure of something, then no matter the facts you’re confronted with, you just have to find an explanation, regardless of how far-fetched, to explain it, since any scenario involving you being wrong is not coherent with your certainty of being right.  
That’s why I can be one hundred percent sure that I’m doing the right thing.

*curtain fall*

xxx

I spent some hours in my room, sleeping a little and relaxing. Letting my mind wander on plans of escape and actions to take to protect everyone.  
Kyoko,Hifumi(forced by Celeste) and Chihiro guarded the dorm. Since the kitchen was very close and that peoples could attest of my presence here, I didn’t take an escort with me.  
I went out a little before lunch, to see if I could help with the cooking.  
I passed in front of the stairs. Before,there was paper with “no crossing” marked on it,but Monokuma said that to reward us for the murder he would let us remove it and go upstairs, and the same for the infirmary . I would need to check it out later,though some other may have already did.  
Last times Asahina,Sakura,Sayaka and Ishimaru participated, but now Ishimaru,Mondo and Sakura  
were here .  
“Hello Makoto! Did you come to participate to contribute to our little society?I commend this type of initiative!”  
“Well,I don’t know a lot about cooking...So maybe I will need a little help.”  
“Then this is even better! A meal will be consumed in less than an hour, while knowledge will help you all your life!”  
“There is no need to help,Makoto. I am willing to prepare the meal by myself.” said Sakura.  
“Sakura already asked me to take care of the cooking by herself. Nonsense!While I certainly appreciate her motivation,I would never let an occasion to help society ungrasped!”  
“Yeah,she also said the same to me. I only came cause it was obvious some of the peoples who did it normally weren’t goin’ to do it now,but I ain’t gonna let a woman do the work by herself.My brother wouldn’t approve.”  
They helped me master a little the art of cooking.  
Once it was finished, we waited for everyone to gather for the lunch.  
“Hum,why isn’t Sayaka here?” asked Hina.  
“I think we’d better check where she is...” said Chihiro.  
Sayaka was missing? A little nervous,I went to check on her,accompanied . When I tried to open her door,it was locked. Did she took her key in my room to lock herself?  
I knocked ,and nothing happened. I pressed the ringbell,and nothing happened. I did it again,and began to worry ,when the door opened.  
“Ah!It’s you?Sorry to make you wait ,Makoto! I fell asleep.”  
“Oh,so that’s all it was. I’m reassured ,Sayaka. So that’s why you weren’t here for the cooking. I understand why you would need to rest. But it’s time to eat,so come please?”  
“ I’m not sure they would want to see me. “

“ You can’t just ostracize yourself,Sayaka.It will solve nothing. Instead,you should do like Sakura and present your excuses,especially the one you planned to attack. If I forgave you,what made you think the others won’t ? If it make you feel so bad,you should at least check if they really hate you. “

“... I suppose you’re right,Makoto.” She adopted serious expression.

“I’m following you. “ 

I returned in the dining hall with her.  
When she arrived, she drawn the gaze of everyone. A good part of them quickly returned to what they were doing, but some of them kept staring at her. She tensed and I touched her and to try to encourage her. "Hum, everyone. I..."she inhaled.”I want to apologize for what I have done. I didn’t during the trial, and I want you to know that I understand the gravity of what I have done. And I also want to apologize to… to Leon. For planning kill him. I’m sorry, Leon.” Leon expression froze. He looked like he had difficulty processing it. “Leon?Do you...” I asked. “What?Oh yeah,I totally forgive her or whatever,I mean,she probably wouldn’t go trough with it, since she didn’t kill Makoto ,and beside,I can defend myself.” Yeah, he’s not ready to accept that she could have killed him. It’s probably why he acted so defensively and seemed so worried during the trial when Sayaka was uncovered; he never thought about the possibility that she could kill him. Probably because he was a little bit...womanizing.

“If you don’t want me to eat with you or if you think I should be locked inside my room, I completely understand.” With that,she bowed in front of us.

Sakura intervened. “Considering I killed someone, unlike Sayaka who only attempted to do, I will also accept any sanction which may fall unto her.”

“We should take our decision in an orderly manner. Let us vote!”proclaimed Ishimaru.

”For my part, I am willing to look past the actions of our comrades as long as they show their will to be responsible citizen from now on and to remember the reason for their mistakes!”

Chihiro nodded.”I agree...I can’t relate to being ready to kill someone, but I don’t think they’re bad peoples...so I forgive them.”

“I will not,though you are mistaken if you think their pathetic attempts really matter for me.”said Byakuya.

“I-I will vote the same as M-master...though I’m sure everyone would want t-to get rid of me anyway...”

“Especially me.” Byakuya!

Celeste spoke.“I will have to agree. I am a magnanimous person, but I simply cannot let our lives be endangered by criminals. Beside, you are rater naive if you think you can ascertain whether or not their words are truthful.”

“...I get they had their reasons and shit, and it’s not like I care lot about the law. My guts tell me I can trust them,and it would be unmanly to don’t give a second chance to a women, so I will haft’a let it go.” said Mondo.

“What about you ,Hifumi?” I asked.

“Well...if Ms Naegi believe we can trust them,I will put my trust in him again. Beside,it’s always better to be on the side of the protagonist!”

…

“I don’t want to hold a grudge ,it’s gonna mess with my karma .” said Hiro. “Beside, all this murder thing probably happened because we weren’t chill enough. But no more killing right? I’m not legally allowed to die in here before I pay my debt and I sold the rights to take my organs after my death to someone. They’re gonna be pissed like hell if they can’t get their hand on it!”

My god.

“...I want to forgive Sakura. I….I have to admit that I felt scared when she was revealed as a murderer, because… I thought she could protect and reassure me, and wanted to trust her,but… I shouldn’t put so much trust in her so quickly, without thinking she could be pressured by Monokuma. And in the end ,she really protected me. So I will believe in her. And if forgive her,well,I will forgive Sayaka too, you know?”

Sakura straightened her head previously lowered in shame.”Thank you infinitely, Asahina. You have no idea what it mean for me. I thought you wouldn’t want to be near me in the future. I will do anything I have to to prove that I deserve it.”

I spoke up. “In case it wasn’t already clear, I already forgave them.”

Kyoko still has not answered. “And what do you vote for,Kyoko?”

“Our currents security measures are already rather high, and I don’t feel deceit in their expression and body language. I won’t call for a severe punishment, tough it would be an appreciable show of good will to participate more in everyday tasks.”

“I think that’s a good compromise. I believe Sakura already decided to do that anyway.Do you agree?” The two girls nodded. This subject was closed,but before we began to eat,I,too had something to say. “Oh, excuse me,but I too have something to say. Before we eat, I’d like to remind you of some things?”

“D-delaying Master’s meal...I h-hope you have a good reason!”said Toko.  
“What do you want to say?”asked Byakuya.  
“That even if you want to go out of here because of the motive videos, murder isn’t going to help you, for multiple reason.  
First, because you’re not skilled enough. If we add to this our security measures, any attempt will probably backfire; after all we are thirteen, some of whom are rather smart like Kyoko and Byakuya,so unless you’ve got a perfect crime,you’re probably gonna fail.  
Second, because all of this is filmed; and Monokuma seem to only want our despair, so I’m pretty sure he will show it to the outside world. For all we know,he could be broadcasting it or planning to broadcast it; why else pick ultimates and make a killing game if you don’t intent to record it?  
Not only your family of your friend,but also the government will show it and throw you in jail.  
Thirdly, even if you leave this school, how do you intend to find your loved ones? You’re not detectives,or policeman. The police is probably already on the case. Unless ,of course,they’re free or ...dead. Which always remain a possibility.  
Fourth,we don’t know if Monokuma really intend to let anyone leave. Not only does it seem contrary to his sadistic nature, but we would alert everyone about what is happening.”

“Hey now!I heard youuu!”  
Monokuma voice resonated in the mic.  
“How many times do I need to repeat it? Bear don’t talk, and consequently lies even less! Everyone already know you’re missing, and I will blindfold you before letting you leave. I will let you a limited access to the collar camera once its done. So the blackened will be able to send Morse message by hiding the camera to confirm he is alive. I won’t let you exchange anything more than that tough!”  
“But we’re obviously in Hope’s Peak academy...blindfolding us will do nothing.”I retorted.  
“Puhuhuhu...we’ll see about that!”  
What?Are we not in Hope’s Peak academy?  
After a small pause,I resumed my speech.“It’s up to you if you believe him or not.  
Final points...none of you are murderers. You do not know how it feel to have the death of someone on your hands. You don’t even know if you will have the strength to do it at the final moment. You would have to live your entire life with the guilt on your shoulders, not some hours with adrenaline in your veins distracting you from what you’ve done. The police will probably come. And anyway ,I have a plan. I discussed it with other peoples. If the police don’t...I will get you out of here. So please. Don’t do anything reckless.”  
…  
“...Well said Makoto! Such actions would not only be immoral, but counter-productive! I can’t believe I didn’t already done a lecture about this! I lacked to my duty as the Ultimate Moral Compass!I think I’m going to put myself in detention for this,or my honor will be soiled.”  
“I-I couldn’t possibly kill one of my classmate! This would be too cruel. And I can’t believe anyone here plan to do it, especially after this speech.” said Chihiro.  
“I don’t want to believe it either. But if I made this speech earlier...then Sayaka wouldn’t have acted so recklessly, and perhaps Sakura wouldn’t have either. So even if I believe in all of you,I won’t make the same mistake twice.” I said.  
“I cannot deny what you said,Makoto.”answered Sakura darkly.“A reminder of the dishonor I would brought on my family if my crime was uncovered, and thus of the dishonor I would bring upon myself even if I successfully hid it. How could I fall so low..?”  
”I’m sure you will make it up eventually.”  
“No matter how glorious and honorable the action I take, it won’t erase what I’ve done.” she answered.  
I guess so…  
“I also planned to tell you something. “said Sakura.”I went with Mondo to check the second floor. There is a swimming pool with two changing rooms and muscular training equipment, two classrooms, toilets, and a library. We confiscated the dumbbells and put them in the kitchen. Monokuma said to us that our tablets would be needed to open the changing rooms.He also said lending it was forbidden. ”  
“A pool?! I take back everything bad I said about this place, this is awesome!”  
I think you’re exaggerating a little,Hina. I probably should check it later.  
We all ate, but I asked everyone to stay after they had finished. Once everyone was done,I spoke:  
“I have something else to ask of you. I would like you to measure yourself,and compare your size to the last time you measured yourself,as well as giving me the date of the last time you’d do it.”  
“Hum, for what reasons, Mr Naegi?” asked Hifumi.  
“You will see.”  
“Ah!I understand perfectly! The plan won’t work if you say it out loud! Foreshadowing is indeed a terrifying weapon.”  
Whatever you say, Hifumi.  
“First,we need some tools. Monkuma,can we have something like that?”  
“In your dreams!”  
I wasn’t hoping a lot coming from him.  
“Then let’s seek tools this afternoon.”  
“I measured myself but a week ago.”informed Sakura. “I believe we can use my height as reference.”  
“I’m not so sure about this ,Sakura. I will explain why later. ”  
We ate our meal, then left by pair.  
“You want to go with me,Sayaka?”  
“O-of course,Makoto.” she said,smiling.  
“I think I begin to understand why Makoto forgave Sayaka so quickly.” said Leon.  
Not everyone is like you,Leon...  
I searched in the gym for adequate equipment, like maybe an barrier with adjustable height ,but I got no luck.  
While walking in the corridor,I encountered Hifumi and Celeste. Their research was more fruitful.  
“Hello ,Mr Naegi. You will be pleased to our that our quest was successful. Mission accomplished!”  
“There is no need to thank me, really.”  
“Hum,I’m the one who found the ruler, though.”  
“Does the arm need to be praised or the person possessing it? You really are short-sighted,Hifumi. Perhaps I should find a better servant.”  
“Eeeeeeek!Forgive me,I won’t do it again!”  
“We will probably need to mark a wall with a marker since the ruler is too short.”  
“What do I hear? Are you planning to vandalize the walls of my beloved establishment?I will not permit such a thing! Until this is murder related,of course. And this is obviously not!”  
I’m pretty sure he figured what I wanted to do. He was trying to deter me. That only confirmed by suspicion.  
“Did you find any other ruler?That could help us.”I asked Hifumi.  
“I will go search immediately.” happily said Hifumi.  
“Aren’t you forgetting something,Hifumi?” smiled Celeste.  
“I will go search immediately...please, Miss Ludenberg?” a sweaty Hifumi said interrogatively.  
“Better.”  
I think I will use the marker on my blanket,then use it to measure peoples. This is a gray area, and Monokuma won’t kill me if I do it before he forbid it. At the very least,he will certainly warn me first if he consider this destruction of school materia.

But I will need to act fast. Having two rulers will allow me to make the marks a little faster,since I won’t have to alternate . Hifumi and Celeste were coming back as I arrived to that conclusion.  
“Have you found a ruler?”  
“Sadly ,I have not. Which is strange,since all the other furniture were here.” sadly said Hifumi.  
“Well,that’s not a big problem,I will do without it. ”  
“Perhaps there is a traitor in our ranks.” said Celeste.  
“What?”  
“There already was one. Maybe there was two. Especially considering the mastermind probably could have interrupted the fake Junko from going to her death if she was essential.”  
“I remember Monokuma saying she wasn’t worth all this attention...”said Celeste.  
“Regardless, I don’t think we should give too much importance to a tiny clue like that...but it’s certainly troubling. Do you have any pen?”  
“I thought about it,and-”  
Celestia interrupted him.”We thought about it,and brought it to you. Give him the pencil,Hifumi,if you would be so kind.”  
I went into my room,and used the ruler to put marks on my blanket.   
Monokuma didn’t berate me,so I guess he decided that opposing me would add credibility to the hypothesis I was investigating.  
I asked Celeste and Hifumi to repatriate everyone in the dining room.

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

After a little while, everyone was assembled.  
I measured everyone, and noted their height on a piece of paper Hifumi found with the rest of the furniture. I then asked them to write the date of their last measure ,the results they obtained,and the level of confidence in the information. Sakura,Chihiro,Sayaka and Mondo had measured themselves recently; Sakura for the competition since their were different categories,Sayaka because she was an idol,Mondo because he wanted to prove he was taller than a rival and Chihiro...she didn’t said it,but maybe it was because she was a little small?  
The others generally had more fuzzy memories and more distant measurement session.  
Regardless, once I compared the sizes,balanced the fact that some measures were old and did a weighted average, I obtained two centimeters of growth.  
Leon was confused.“What?Why did we suddenly grow up?”  
“Are we sure we didn’t just forgot the exact size?My height is still the same.” asked Chihiro.  
“But the other three of us who measured themselves recently all gained an average of one centimeters.”said Sakura, a shocked expression on her face.”How? You are the one who proposed this,Makoto. Do you have an idea as to how it could have occurred?”  
I was also stroke by the results,but I tried to keep my composure.  
“Well, it doesn’t make sense that we’d be kidnapped at the entrance, and my memory of the event was...really strange. It didn’t felt like I was just knocked out. I just wanted to confirm something, so I’m also pretty surprised. I wanted to know how much our memories were affected.“  
“Wait...are you implying...”Sakura lost even more composure.  
“Yeah…I believe we’re one year in the future.Maybe more.”  
After a moment of silence, cries of surprise and shock as well as protest exploded.  
“Say whhhaaaaaattttt?” Hifumi cried out with a strident voice.   
“Are you crazy? Peoples just don’t lose a year of their life like that!” protested Leon.  
“W-wait...that can’t be true...because else, my brother...” said Hina.   
Celeste chuckled,a little less gracefully than ordinarily. “Surely you’re mistaken. There is no way we were unconscious for a such an enormous amount of time. Even if our loss of memory could explain why we don’t remember being made unconscious, we would have felt it if we stood so much time without moving. Why, we would be weakened, both mentally and physically.”  
But I had an answer to that;  
“I don’t think we were unconscious for long. I think we lost one year of memory.”  
Everyone in the room stopped their agitation to think about the implication of this.  
“Then...did we already spent at least a year studying together?”suggested Ishimaru.”Fantastic!  
Wait no.”he lost his satisfied expression.”That’s horrible! Two years worth of memory, knowledge, bonding ,and hard work...Lost! This is … this is tragic!” Tears flowed from his eyes.  
“We...can’t jump to conclusion. But...we have to consider the possibility.” said Kyoko.”The measurements made weren’t very accurate, the margin were thin, and our memories may be incorrect. I’m a little impressed you thought of this before me, Mak-”  
“I CANNOT STAND IT!” interrupted Sakura.”The idea that I may have killed one of my classmate...perhaps someone I became friend it...I will never forgive what I have done!”  
Sayaka too was visibly shocked. Her face was pale; her arms crossed and pressed against her chest.   
Mondo tried to appease Sakura about “Junko’s” death.“Wasn’t she a fake or somethin’? Maybe she wasn’t our comrade, just a random nobody that the mastermind manipulated?Would be more easy for him.”  
“When she infiltrated Hina’s room, she wasn’t acting like a civilian. She was calm and silent, and her body exhibited an aura of professionalism. She showed almost superhuman reflex and when she stroked back with her fists, she hit me once and almost killed me when she did so twice again. She knew where to hit to kill. I have no problem to believe she was an ultimate combatant.“  
...  
“Regardless, I believe this is a firm argument in favor of not killing each others.”I said nervously.  
Sayaka was still not moving and her expression was frozen.  
“Hum,Sayaka?”   
That’s when I realized that there were tears in her eyes.   
I was taken aback. I already seen her cry at three occasions in those few days, but only when we were alone. She needed to be extremely affected to do so in our presence when her entire job revolved about putting a mask when in front of a public.  
She left the room, drying her eyes with her sleeve. I almost ran after her, but considering the severity and suddenness of her outburst, I believed I should let her vent out a little before.   
…  
The room was tense. Everyone still had trouble accepting what happened.   
And the mood wasn’t going to improve with the next question.  
Mondo scratched his hairs.“Hey,speakin’ of Mukuro not being an ultimate reminded me something.  
What’s you ultimate talent,Kyoko?You never said it.”   
“...I don’t remember it.”  
“The best of lies are the ones which do not require the making of others.” said with a trace of aggressiveness Celeste,head slightly inclined, eyes closed and smile thin but ever present.  
“What have I to gain by lying? I’m just making myself seem suspicious.”  
“And for good reasons. Isn’t it more convenient to use a normal agent than an ultimate?”  
“I could have pretended to be an ultimate.”  
“But you would have to demonstrate your nonexistent talent, and to imagine a story which would fit with it. By faking amnesia, you don’t have to do that; in fact, you don’t even have to explain why we’ve never heard of you before. How convenient. Truly, I commend your ability to make yourself pass for an ultimate. Sadly for you, I am the Queen of liars. You’re no match for me.”  
I tried to help the maybe-amnesiac girl.“Hold on. Our memories were messed with. Is it so hard to imagine she is saying the truth?”   
“Losing memory from a period of time and losing memory from your entire life are two very different things.” Celeste countered.”This is far too convenient, surely you are not that naive, Makoto?”  
“E-even if she was an agent of Monokuma, what could she possibly do? Everyone is in duo constantly.”  
“Oh? Then why did the first agent die? Are you suggesting we should just leave the second traitor walk away freely?”  
“I can prove I’m not an agent. But I will only tell why to one person. One which I deem inoffensive, like Chihiro for instance.”  
“And what if Chihiro is also an agent? What if she misjudge the value of your proof?”  
“Since I assume you won’t trust me,how about Ishimaru? He is the Ultimate Moral Compass.”  
proposed Byakuya.  
“It will be fine. Let’s go in my room.”   
She walked away,Chihiro and Ishimaru following her.  
“I’m still less than certain that those two are intelligent and rational enough to be good judges.” said Byakuya.  
“...I will ask them to consult one of us if they’re not sure. Who know, maybe they will be able to do it without revealing the secret.”  
“If she can’t prove she isn’t an agent, what are we to do?” asked Celeste.  
“I say we lock her up in her room. We can’t take any risks.” said Byakuya.  
“Now...that seem a little excessive.”pleaded Makoto.  
“Yeah, you ain’t just gonna lock a girl like that. No until we know for sure!”agreed Mondo.  
“There is not reason for her to lack this much memory. Do you still believe in her pitiful excuse?”asked Celeste.  
The door opened.  
Kyoko,Taka and Chihirio entered.  
“So?”asked Byakuya.  
“Suspicion is no longer necessary! She indeed seem to have a good reason for her amnesia!” answered Mondo.  
“And it seem like she has an Ultimate Talent. I mean, we can’t be sure, since we can’t verify she was the best, but it seem likely she has one indeed...” said Chiiro.  
“That’s good, but...how did she prove she was an ultimate if she has amnesia?And how did she prove her amnesia?” asked Mondo.  
“I’m sorry, but we can’t answer that...” said Chihiro, head down.   
“I confirm! We swore on our honor that we would stay secretive about ti!” confirmed Kyotaka.  
“They seem really sure about this. I think we should trust them.” I said.   
“I remain unconvinced. But this little is not enough to put my life in danger and I will easily overcome any complication, so I will let it slide. Be grateful.”  
“Yes! Thank master!”  
“Except you.”  
“So...What’s the next step?” asked Leon.  
“If we really lost our memories...can we be sure our kidnapping did not last a long time? And that the police couldn't find us?”asked Hifumi nervously.  
“I refuse to believe this! There is no reason for the police to not find us! We’re in hope’ Peak academy, and you’re Ultimates!”I declared.  
“Are you sure about this,Makoto?”asked Kyoko,smiling slightly and closing her eyes.  
What?“...Do you suggest this is a reproduction? Why do you think that?”  
“The simple fact we’ve not been found yet would be a good answer,isn’t it?”  
“Even if this is true, how could a psychopath could build a reproduction of it?He’d need to be rich!And the government would surely inspect the place! How would we be kidnapped to an unknown location in the first place?” I countered.  
“I am just saying we can’t reject the possibility. Furthermore, we can’t look through the windows ,can we? So what if this whole place was underground? And we don’t even know if the reproduction is accurate, since we don’t remember hope’s peak academy.”  
I pensively put my hand under my chin. If we were really underground...then escaping may be be very difficult. Perhaps I would have to neutralize the mastermind first.   
If only I could threw a look outside...Even Sakura didn’t succeed in moving the metal plates, so it would be difficult. And Monokuma surely had reinforced the main entrance in some ways.  
I would need to think about it.  
“Okay,I see. Thank for this hypothesis ,Kyoko. And about what we do next...let me a little time to think. I will go see Sayaka now,if that doesn’t bother you.”  
“I thought you said we should stay in group? You’re quick to disregard your own rules.” said Byakuya.  
“Sayaka will be able to confirm I went here quickly; I will ask her to look at her tablet.”  
I went in front of her room and pressed the ringbell.


	10. Chapter 10

After pressing the doorbell,I waited for Sayaka to answer.   
“Please, go away” she answered,after a few seconds, in a choked voice.  
“It’s Makoto,Sayaka. Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”  
“...okay.”  
I heard footsteps, and the door opened, the now familiar sight of Sayaka’s dried tears and red eyes  
greeting me.  
“I’m sorry about this. I didn’t thought about how it could affect you. If I had known, I would have told you in private first.”  
“Makoto...you’re the last one who should feel sorry. I’m the one who brought it upon myself.”  
“Even if it’s true that you could have avoided this situation, I don’t think that’s fair to say that , Sayaka.  
It’s Monokuma who put you in this situation. There is almost no chance something similar could happen if you just continued your normal life. You clearly weren’t in a normal state of mind when you did this, else you would’ve thought about it more. Monokuma probably knew the videos would have this effect on you, he knew you cared a lot about your group and that you couldn’t take the risk of thinking too much about it by fear of not having the will to do it afterward. He manipulated you!”  
“...even if you say that, that just show how selfish I am. I was too much of a coward to even verify if my plan would do anything to help my friends, and I almost killed you, and everyone else, because of it.” she said, trying hard to not begin to cry again.  
“But that’s not who you are now. You will never do this mistake again. And if you had enough time to calm yourself, you would never have done it.”  
“But-” a tear escaped her eyes.”I’m sorry for this,I don’t want to make you worry for me agai-”  
I hugged her. She gasped in surprise.  
“Sayaka. It’s okay to cry. I know you probably don’t think you have any right to cry or to be comforted but-” I petted her hairs”-that’s wrong. I will always be here to comfort you,even if you don’t think you deserve it. I may not have interacted with you a lot, but I know you’re a good person inside. Even if you don’t think it’s true, I know it is. Believe me.”  
“M-makoto...”she gasped, more tears dripping on her face.  
“You’re worried for your group,are you not? You don’t know what happened to them during these two years.”I said ,resuming my petting.  
“*Sniff* I-I don’t know if they’re even alive. I don’t know if what I’ve done would’ve even the slightest chance of mattering. Even if they are fine, without me, the group is probably already-*sniff*”  
I pressed her against me.  
“Please continue ,Sayaka. You can tell me.”  
“Even if I the group was still popular, they would probably h-hate me.*sniff* Everyone would hate me! All my fans, all the peoples I know...I would probably go in jail!*sob* A-and I’d deserve it...”  
I caressed one of her cheek, my fingers wets with her tears.  
“But there is something else, right?You already knew that part before.”  
“And I-I...I don’t want to think I was friend with all of you!I don’t want to believe I betrayed my friends !I don’t want to think that you were my friend ,and that I almost...that I tried to!”  
“You’re scared ,right?”  
“I’m scared of remembering! I don’t want to face what I’ve done! I’m not ready for this!”  
“That’s not fair right? You worked so hard to protect your dream, tried so desperately to protect your group, wanted so hard to be our friends.”  
She burst into tears and pressed her head in my chest,her arms clenching around me.  
“That’s not fair! I didn’t want this to happen! I’m sorry!”  
I hold her, letting her vent out. The first time she cried of worry and fear he second time she cried of stress and horror, the third of guilt and self-hatred. But this time, she finally cried for herself.  
After a few minutes, she stopped.  
“I keep crying and making you worry about me even when you repeat to me that I shouldn’t,it seem...So-no,thank you for the comfort, and sorry for crying again and complaining again.”  
“I will always be here for you,Sayaka,and like I said,I don’t want you to wear mask because of me. I will never pressure you to not cry ,to not complain or to not not express your emotions,even if those emotions are guilt and self-hatred.”  
“But I thought you didn’t liked seeing me self-pity myself on how much I deserved what was happening to me?”  
“You will forgive yourself at your own rhythm ,Sayaka, and only you know at which speed you want to do it. But I’m confident that if you can forgive Sakura, you will eventually forgive yourself. And even if you can’t stop disliking yourself, then at least you can focus on feeling grateful instead and knowing that you will be supported.”  
“Y-yes...thank you Makoto! I won’t focus on myself or what I’ve done anymore !I will do my best to help you, and everyone here!”  
She looked at me happily.  
Our faces were close. I blushed and diverted my gaze.  
“M-makoto,do you have a crush on me?”  
“Ah!Hum,I-I-”  
“You’re far better than me, I certainly don’t deserve it, and I would never have dared ask this before what you said to me, but...I won’t let my fear hold me back from paying you back.”  
If a was flushed before, I was totally red now.  
I timidly nodded.  
She took my cheek and gently made me look at her.  
I could feel her breath on her lips.  
“Do you want to kiss me?”  
My respiration was uneven. I was hypnotized by her blues eyes and tetanized by her breath.  
“Y-yes.”  
Her lips touched mines.  
She delicately pressed me against her lips, and I hold her by the waist.  
I could feel the scent of her body and the softness of her lips. I was submerged by the sensation and my mind went blank. I couldn’t focus on anything else.  
“Ah!”  
She had licked at my lips. Trembling with emotions, breath ragged,I reciprocated, another burst of pleasure exploding inside me. It was alike gold: imperial, heavy, commending the attention of every part of my mind. It was so powerful that it bordered on the scary, like a tsunami of pleasure and feelings ,with the intensity of worship, but involving all senses,all thoughts, all emotions.  
It was short, but it was so intense that I had to take a breath to gather my focus and prepare myself.  
Though it did few to help me keep my composure when our two tongues touched, a heavy if muffled moan leaving my mouth while a more controlled and content one left Sayaka’s.  
We continued to kiss for a minute, before finally stopping to just cuddle and hug instead.  
“I’m so happy you accepted,Makoto.”  
“I-I am really happy too ,Maizono-san!”  
She giggled.”What with the honorifics? Just call me Sayaka,Makoto.”  
“O-okay,Sayaka.”  
After a little time,I remembered something.  
“Hey Sayaka,I’d love to continue this,but there are some thing I need to check.”  
“Of course. Makoto. Do you want me to go with you?”  
“Sure. We kinda have to go in groups anyway.”  
I led the way and went toward the warehouse.  
“What are you searching?”  
“I don’t know exactly, I just want to fetch anything which could help us escape.”  
But Monokuma may not let me. So I would have to pretend I didn’t find anything interesting. And make him believe I planned to kill someone. I would have to wait to retrieve it .  
We went into the warehouse. There were donuts, clothes,ropes,cans,Javel,toilet paper...wait, the Javel could be a little dangerous...maybe we should put this in the kitchen.   
We stopped our search and walked to the kitchen.  
Mondo and Ishimaru were guarding it today. Not like anybody could have entered alone even without guards ,but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.  
“Hello ,Makoto and Sayaka! What are you doing her?” greeted us Kyotaka.  
“We’re searching for thing to help us against Monokuma.”  
“Can you check if there is nothing hidden inside the food,Sayaka?”  
“Uh,okay,if you think it’s necessary to check.”  
Not really.  
Along with all the knives ,the golden sword,the toolkits and the sewing kits,there was a lot of of food and utensils. I opened doors and drawers,making sure my neck was lower than what I was looking at. There was also recipients, scales, kitchen paper roll, baking paper,and…  
Yes.  
Yes! There was some! I really didn’t know how I was supposed to escape without this.  
I closed the door without looking at it.  
I continued to rummage the kitchen, then stopped.  
“I didn’t find anything important, Makoto. Did you?”  
“No, nothing useful.”  
“That’s a shame. Should we continue elsewhere? Maybe we will find something.”  
I doubt it.  
“Sure. Let’s go at the library.”  
We went upstairs, and explored the new scenery with our eyes. It was a little pleasant to see something new.   
Like expected,we found nothing of use. Byakuya was already here with Touko,reading.   
“You’re okay with being with Touko now?”  
“Sadly, she was the only one who would accept to accompany me. Be assured I am saddened by that fact.”  
“I-is t-there really no way you’d l-like me?”  
“Of course there is. Continue to be my obedient dog, and I may.”  
“T-thank you so much ,M-master!”  
“And to prove it, you will shut up.”  
I intervened.“Hum, don’t you think you should precise a length of time?”  
“No.”  
“And by “may”...”  
“I’m not going to explain each little word in my sentences.”  
O-okay…  
“We’re here to seek something. Does that bother you?”  
“Yes.”  
“...”  
Sayaka intervened.“I’m sorry Byakuya,but this is important. I’m sure the classrooms are empty if you want peace.”   
“And I intend on finding it.” he said, leaving the room.  
We explored a little, looking at the names of books, but obviously nothing interesting was here.  
I went into the adjacent room. I didn’t expect anything interesting ,but a police report attracted my attention. It reported all the crimes committed by Genocide Jack,a serial killer. Apparently,she crucified her exclusively males victims with scissors for pleasure. She also wrote “bloodlust” on the walls with the blood of her victims. It was chilling. I decided to put the report back where it was.   
“Anything interesting Makoto?” asked Sayaka.  
“Oh,not really,this is a report on Genocide Jack.”  
“Mh?Can I see this?”  
I gave it to her.  
“Oh,yeah,I already know this. This is public knowledge. She only kill cute and handsome boys.”  
She took a serious expression.  
“That mean you’re in danger, Makoto!”  
Ahhhhh!Too much teasing!  
She giggled, hand on her mouth.  
“You’re really easy to tease,Makoto.”  
“A-anyway,there is nothing interesting here…we already checked the gym, so I don’t think there is a need to continue.”  
“Okay.”  
“Hum ,do you want to hang out with me?”  
“It would be my pleasure,Makoto!”  
We spent the rest of the day together, discussing and playing games on papers.


	11. Chapter 11

It was nighttime. Everything was silent.

A door slowly opened, and a silhouette exited the room,a hand near their neck.  
After some silent walking, they entered into the dining hall, then the kitchen.

They took a knife, then a scissor. The drawer that drew Makoto’s attention was opened, and its content fetched.

The person then went in Sakura’s room,where Junko's body was resting in place of Sakura. With a little luck, the body would still be here.

xxx

Monokuma Theater

*curtain open*

Humans are told to be good since their childhood. They are taught to be selfless, generous and empathetic. Luckily, not all of them fall for this crap. Why would you sacrifice your interest for someone else? That’s sooo irrational!

The only reason humans are kinds is because their group is trying to brainwash them into being good to them. That’s why you don’t feel pressured to spend money to make random animals happy ,or to stop buying luxury good and give send food to starving peoples in other countries instead. I guess that what I’m trying to say, is…if you’re ever member of a group, then it’s really important to tell all the others to be selfless, generous and empathetic. Why being selfish alone when you can be selfish in group? The bigger the egoism,the better!

*curtain fall*

xxx

“You look a little worried, Makoto. Is something wrong?”

“No,I’m okay.”

We were eating our breakfast . I was feeling less and less like myself. How I acted yesterday...that wasn’t like me. I knew that it was smart and that I did the right thing, but...I shouldn’t have felt jubilation from it. I hoped I could have my med back, but...could I really stay as cunning without my current state of mind? Being close with Sayaka was both a blessing and a curse: that made it a lot easier to deal with with the feeling of disillusionment and cynicism,but it also made me feel like I was betraying, manipulating her. But the setback that just happened to my plan was also occupying my mind.

Last night ,I had made sure to lock everyone in their rooms,and this morning, everyone were in their rooms as well,Sakura,Ishimaru and Sayaka assured me. They were the one who guarded the hallways the morning. Maybe it was a bit of an overkill,I decided. Sakura should be enough to prevent a murder,was probably reliable now,and one would need weapon in order to murder anybody. If the worst were to come, I’m sure she would be willing to kill herself to prove her innocence. She could also threaten the true culprit to kill him, and the culprit, knowing she had nothing to loose, would have to concede and admit.

“Junko’s body isn’t here anymore.”

Sayaka looked at me,followed by Sakuta then the others.

“What did you say,Makoto?” asked Sakura.

“He said that quote Junko’s unquote corpse was gone. And nothing more normal !As I, master magician Monokuma, made it disappear with my mighty magic!”

“You just entered the building this night to get rid of it, didn’t you?”

“Of course,”continued Mokokuma,ignoring me,”I wouldn’t be so cruel to impose you the presence of this useless, boring, smelly person any second more than necessary!Though honestly, I believe she improved on all these points since her death.”

“Why are you so intent on insulting your accomplice?” asked Kyoko.

“Yeah! Why did she do to make you so horrible toward her?!She is your ally, no? I don’t understand!” said Asahina.

“I’m sorry ,but I held this inside me all this time and politely waited for her to die before insulting her,what more do you need? Oh wait,that’s a lie.Hahahah! Regardless,I’m far knowledgeable on the matter of Junko than you will ever be, so just trust me on this. Oh,and I expect you in the gym in half an hour!”

…

“Maybe she was just an impostor? An Ultimate Impostor, maybe?” suggested Chihiro.

“No, that can’t be it. After all,the true Junko isn’t here. Which can only mean that she was killed and replaced by the mastermind’s accomplice. ” declared Kyoko, crossing her arms.

“There are other scenarios possible, such as Junko dying by accident and the fake Junko using this opportunity to pass for an ultimate, but they are less probable.

“Why do you think he want us in the gym?” asked Leon.

“We can assume he will either provide us with motives to kill ,or put new rules to prevent any rebellion. Probably the first, he sounded too calm.” said Kyoko.

The air was a little tense.

“I’m sure we will find a way around it.” I said, trying to calm everyone a little.

I continued to eat with the others. I noticed that Sayaka paused in her movement and had her hand clenched around her spoon. I touched her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. She relaxed and smiled back before finishing her bowl in a...elegant yet kinda determined way?

Once everyone finished ,we headed toward the gym.

The animatronic was still here.

“My dears student! It was years since we actually met, yet I feet like I was with you mere minutes ag-”

“Out with it. If this is a motive, give it to us. If you have information to transmit, do it.

Just because you’re making a killing game doesn’t mean it have to be tedious.” said Byakuya.

“Geeezz,fiiiiine,what a killjoy you are!If only you could murder your classmates instead of the good mood we created. Here. Secrets. Each of you. Exposed to whole world and classmates if no one is murdered. Short enough for you, Mr Born Rich?”

“How dare you-”

“W-well you weren’t even b-born in the first place!”

Silence.

“Shut up.” said Byakuya with contempt.

“I-I’m s-sorry,it felt like a g-good line at the moment!”

Well, it wasn’t.

“What are those secrets?” asked Byakuya.

“Here they are. In a box behind me.”said Monokuma.

I moved toward it fast. If I could just read the secrets of the others, the motive would be weakened ,and I would know who to watch. I took hold of a paper with Mondo’s name on it in the small iron box before being interrupted by a “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING MR . NAEGI?!” I stopped. Monokuma continued.“Look at your secret, and your secret ONLY!”

I begrudgingly obeyed, ignoring the disapproving gaze of Celeste,Mondo an Touko.

“Excusez moi?What I pray tell make you believe you have the right to look at my secret?”asked Celeste.

“Hey, you can’t just go lookin’ at our secret like that without askin’!”

“I-I knew that you were too n-nice! Y-you just want to make me suffer,d-don’t deny it!”

“C-calm down guys. I just wanted to make sure we knew who to look for. Beside, the secrets will be revealed either way in the end, don’t you agree?”

While talking, I looked at my secret. I hoped really hard it wasn’t about my bed-wetting problems, it would be embarrassing.

The next second taught me to be careful with my wish.

“Makoto’s Naegi isn’t a randomly selected normal student: he’s the Ultimate Emotional Manipulator,and the Academy agreed to provide him this cover-up to help him use his talent. “

What? T-that’s…that’s a lie!

Around me, almost everyone reacted.

“What?No,that’s... that’s not fair!” protested Asahina.

“How did you find out about this!?” said a shocked Ishimaru.  
“N-not cool.”said Leon angrily.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?” shrieked Hifumi.

Mondo was unlike himself, silent and was looking downward,while Toko was holding her head and groaned with frustration and Chihiro had tears dripping on his cheeks.

Byakuya smirk at the other’s reactions disappeared, replaced by a silent rage when he read his secret.”How...this is the most well-guarded secret of the Togami Corporation, how did you..?”

Even Celeste laugh and expression sounded and looked fake. I mean, even more fake than normal.

It looked like the others secret were true. It did not bode well with mine.

I...even if a murder was the last thing I wanted...I had to take this chance to get rid of this fake secret. And I had to act fast in order to force the other to show their secret.

I should target the most dangerous,like Byakuya. No,wait ,he was dangerous anyway. But maybe he had a skill. Urg,nothing to loose.

“What is your secret,Byakuya?”

“I have absolutely no intention to tell you.”

“You can’t just hide a motive like that! This is suspicious.”

“You already do not trust me. And I do not care about your suspicion. You,in the other hand. What is your secret? Everyone,I want your attention!”

Everyone looked at me. I couldn’t believe I would have to do it. I could feel my pride deflate each second.

“...I wet my bed until the fifth grade.”

Celeste smirked .”Oh my,he is telling the truth. What an insignificant yet embarrassing secret. It fit you.”

HEY!

“Weak and pathetic.”agreed Byakuya.”One couldn’t even guess if I was describing your secret or you.”

STOP IT

Quick,redirect the attention. Don’t think about the others,don’t think about Sayaka,don’t think about the future filled of mockeries.

“Can you tell us your secret,Hifumi?”

“Uh..?I...that’s...that’s just a personal secret...that’s embarrassing and shameful and everything but that’s okay!”

“What about you ,Mondo?What is your secret?”

“...Hey.HEY. What’s your fuckin’ problem? Trying to pressure me? Think you’ve got any right on me?!”

“T-that’s not it! Please calm down!”

His fist moved,then * **WHAM** *

Everything went black.

“ _Makoto!”_

“ _Violence is not welcome in a school environment...hey!Come back here!”_

“ _What’s wrong with you,dude?”_

_Monokuma spoke again.”For my part,I think Makoto got it coming. He’s so nosy, always interfering in others peoples affairs. Anyways,new rules!Which replace the old ones. You still need a majority of votes to be against the blackened for him to be executed;in case of draw,both are killed. If no blackened is killed, you have to sacrifice one of the person whose vote weren’t in minority! For those scared by this,don’t worry!Voting is no longer obligatory. You also can’t spoil the killing game by blatantly conspiring ,countering the motives ,trying to prevent murders or making the game no fun. Though I reserve to myself the right to apply or not any of the rules.”_

“ _In other words, you can’t afford to punish everyone, and you can’t be sure to know which person should be punished.” Sayaka said._

“ _But you’re making it far easier! It looks like parasiting Makoto made you adopt his characteristics, you should be cautious!”_

_She groaned._

_Anyway, the rule about not destroying furniture is still valid,but I will give you leeway, especially if you want to murder someone; in fact you don’t have to consider this rule while trying to murder. If multiples murders occurs, the first murder accomplished will be the one prioritized. Once the first murder is solved, the second trial will begin,an you will know if you voted right once they all have been solved. The rule about killing two peoples max by person is also still true. I remove the rule about sleeping inside your dorms, but I keep the rule about not going to the gym at nighttime. And I didn’t felt the need to clarify before, but the blackened will always be the one who intended to kill over one whose involvement is strictly physical,though the last one who materially impacted the murder will be selected first as long as he has a killing intent. So if, for instance, you prepare a poison bomb and that you plan to have a third party throw it for you without intent to kill emanating from them, you will be the blackened and have a chance to escape. I wouldn’t want your effort to be wasted. And you imagine the drama? Or if someone who was trapped by an attempted murder would be blamed for his own death if he was to,I don’t know, fall by trying to escape the trap._

_Still no lending of tablet. You cannot enter the gym after nighttime._

_Don’t worry about forgetting it, you can look at your tablet anytime.”_


	12. Chapter 12

My head was hurting. Groaning,I opened my eyes, a blurry figure in blue and white in front of me.

“Gh-Sayaka?”

“Makoto!Are you alright?” said a familiar voice.

I was in my room.

“Well,my head still hurt,but apart from that,I think I’m okay,so don’t worry.”

“I’m relieved. I can’t believe Mondo would be so violent toward you after all you’ve done for everyone here.”

A-anybody could have done that...

“But they didn’t. You should try to show more self-respect, Makoto.”

“O-okay...Wait, how did you

_Well,never mind.No matter how you slice it,she’s really beautiful. Almost like a doll or something._

“ _I’m not a doll,you know.I’m alive!”_

“ _Huh?Did you hear me?”_

“ _I’m psychic.”_

“ _...Huh?”_

“ _Kidding!I just have a really good intuition.”_

_We don’t really have much choice. I guess we should just wait here for now._

“ _Hum...Okay,let’s just wait here.”_

“ _Huh!?You heard that!?”_

“ _Like I said,I’m psychic. Come one,I’m just kidding! Seriously,I just have amazing intuition.”_

“ _I believe in you. Beside,my intuition always turn out right._

_Cuz I’m psychic. Ehehe. Kidding,kidding!”_

_My friendship with her is my one source of courage...My **bond** with her makes me stronger._

_So I have to do my best in here!For myself, and for Sayaka!_

“ _I’m so happy you’re going to do your best for me!”_

“ _What!?Again!?”_

“ _Like I said,I’m psychic. Kidding!I just have a really good intuition._

_...But is that really what you were thinking? “_

...oh right.”

Seriously, I’m sure that if I let her have her way, she would already have done this joke one or two times more. Yes, probably two.

“Oh right what?” She looked curious.

“Well, I figured how you knew what I was thinking.”

“Hum?Do you know how I did it?” she asked me, seriousness in her eyes.

What?

I stayed silent a moment ,gauging her.

“Well,it’s because you have an amazing intui-”

“Cause I’m psychic!

...

Kidding!I just have awesome intuition!”

She giggled, and I had to make efforts not to laugh too.

She looked really happy at the moment. I knew that she probably wasn’t as happy as she was letting it appear. There was no way she could suddenly put behind what she had done and forgave herself, or even forgot that we were at the mercy of a psychopathic bear that wanted to make ourselves kill each others. But she was trying hard to make me happy, to listen to my advice ,and to not worry me. She really was an amazing person to socialize with.

Out of nowhere, I gave her a hug. She squeaked a little and I smirked-you have to appreciate small victories- and grinned. I pulled out of the hug some seconds later.

“I wish I could be as socially skilled as you Sayaka. You’re really nice to interact with.”

She put her hand in front of her mouth, adopted a shy expression and blushed.“What?By “interacting” with me ,Makoto,do you mean...”

No! I won’t succumb to her teasing! I refuse! It was just a hug anyway, there is no reason to be embarrassed!

“Hey, did anything else happened of importance while I was knocked out?”

“Not really. We didn’t try to extract the secret from peoples too much since they could be lying and most of them refused to answer anyway. It wouldn’t be fair to force the cooperating students to tell their secrets and to reward the uncooperative ones, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Not like knowing the secrets would be that useful. We’re almost at maximal security already. Nothing could happen. Hum, how long was I out of it?”

“More than three hours. I was getting a little worried. Anyway, it’s good that you’re up, because it’s almost time to eat. We can talk a little while waiting for them to finish the meal, if you want. But you should stay on your bed.”

“Yeah, I suppose I should rest a little more.”

“Yup. Nothing to worry about. You can relax, Makoto”.

Relax...It wasn’t something that was a lot on my mind these times, he was rather occupied with a lot of things. But now that she was talking about it, it’s true it was nice.

I could think about this plan later.

xxx

“Hey Makoto,how is your plan to beat the mastermind progressing?”asked Hiro.

“Well, uh...I still need a little time, there are some thing I didn’t worked out yet...”

Sayaka came to help me. “I’m not sure Makoto can freely explain you if his plan is ready with the mastermind listening.”

“Yeah, thank you, Sayaka.” But I sounded a little self-conscious.

“Everything alright? You sound a little down, my dude.”

“Haha,I guess so. It’s just a little overwhelming, and if we add the tension of the second motive...I often loose myself in thoughts. Hey, what’s up with Mondo and Ishimaru? They’re really competitive recently.”

Asahina answered.”Leon told me they had a weird sauna contest and that afterward they became ultra competitive without reasons. I don’t think I really understand what took place in the sauna to make them so riled up.Pool is much better honestly. That’s why I spent all my morning inside.”

Leon intervened.“Yeah, they asked me to be their referee, and Chihiro agreed to stay with me to make sure no one is alone. We had to make them stop before the night because of the lockdown , and uh,they were not really happy about this,but we haft’a.Beside Chi was getting a little worried.”

“It was so dangerous...Mondo didn’t even remove his jacket...I don’t understand why they were doing this...” Chihiro teared up just thinking about it.

“One do not play with a man pride and honor,Chihiro!I cannot let this thug think his philosophy is superior to a disciplined devotion to education and training!”

“I ain’t a wuss! And I ain’t backing out until the glorified hall monitor recognize that I would have beat the shit outta him in the endurance contest! Else,I wouldn’t be a man!”

For some reason, it did little to impede Chihiro tears.

“Haha...yeah,I totally understand...”, his effort to smile made useless by the waterworks in his eyes.

What a curious reaction.

“Anyway,Hifumi,where did you put the paper and pencil? I’d like to write a little.”

“I put them in the classroom!”

His voice answered from the kitchen from where he was re-making his tea that Celeste had previously threw partly on him, partly on the floor due to a trivial chronological detail. Milk addition is commutative in a tea, Celeste. Honestly, I think she liked bossing Hifumi around more than the tea.

“Do you want to come with me, Chihiro?”

I felt like he would like to leave the room too, and I needed a partner.

“Y-yeah.”

While walking, I asked him the following question:”So, how do you deal with Monokuma’s motive?”

He looked downward. “I...I’m not feeling ready for it. Before it is revealed, I want to prove to myself that I can really be...strong, or at least feel like I could be strong, mentally speaking. “

“Do you have a plan for this?If you think I can help, don’t hesitate. Maybe Sakura could help?”

I opened the door and Chihiro followed me.

“Well,I do want to train physically. I want to show to myself that I can be more...more resolved that I already am. But I’d rather do this with Mondo.”

I remarked that Chihiro always seemed a little uncomfortable with girls. A little strange, especially if she was feeling self-conscious about her strength, surely it would be more easy to be around girls.

“Okay,I will ask him if I see him. Just make sure to notify us when you go with him.”

I opened the drawer and took paper,a pencil and a ruler.

“Thank you. Uh,what do you want to do with this,if that doesn’t bother you?”

“Writing a recapitulation of what happened, and putting my ideas and reflection and paper.”

He put his finer under his chin.

“That seem like a good idea.”

“I will be going to my room to write. Are you okay with returning to the dining hall?”

“Yeah,I am. I will take this opportunity to ask Mondo for help.”

“But I’m going to have to tell him my secret...”he muttered under his breath .

“Excuse me,did you say something?”

“N-no,it’s nothing.”

“Then let’ go join the other. Hum, I should probably define the dining hall as the meeting point for groups who want to exchange or loose members.”

He nodded.

By luck, when we arrived, everyone was still here except for Touko and Celeste. Probably in their rooms.

“Where are Touko and Celeste?”

“Touko is in her room ,or at least is in the dorm.” answered Sakura.

Can we really let her alone?Oh well,she can’t leave the dorm without us seeing her and it’s not like there is anything really dangerous in the building. The weights are impractical and unconcealable,the Javel is very strong-scented...

“Hum,hey everyone,I think this place would be a good meeting point if you ever want to leave a group. That way you can exchange members with another group. Oh,and don’t forget:no group of three persons, except for very small amount of time...wait,”I remembered,”I think it will be okay,actually. After all, even if a murder occur, the innocent one can just threaten the culprit to kill him, since they’ve got nothing to loose.”

I would also mention the possibility of suicide to prove one’s innocence, but it would be a little too grim.

The good mood of several peoples evaporated,and Chihiro face paled at the idea, but still ,in a weak voice,asked Mondo:

“Hey...do you think we could train together later?”

Wait, if everyone was here...then nobody was guarding the dorms. We’d need to check if Touko was really in her room, just in case. I hoped Sakura would take a break.

“Also,I think one person should be enough to guard the dorms now. “

“I will do it.” answered Sakura.

She did a lot of the guarding work by herself…

“What are you going to do ,Makoto?Do you want me to come with you?”

“Well, I’m going to write down ideas and recapitulate the situation, so there is no peculiar need.

It’s like you want. Maybe you can take this opportunity to talk to the others?”

She laughed weakly.“I don’t know about that,Makoto.”

I get why,but …

“Why not try to speak with Sakura a little? She must be bored of guarding the dorm.”

Sayaka would both feel helpful, discuss with a person she wouldn't feel self-conscious around and make Sakura’s task a little more enjoyable. By coming to like and respect Sakura and understanding why she killed one of us,perhaps she could come to forgive herself a little more.

“Yeah...That seem like a good idea,Makoto. I may be a psychic, but it look like you can read my hearth!”

I laughed a little, slightly embarrassed.

She turned to Sakura.

“So,Sakura,would you mind if I kept you company?”

“Of course not,Sayaka.I-”

As for me, I went into my room.

Pulling out the chair from under the desk for the first time, I finally dropped what I was holding and began to write.

xxx

“...and I should write order to follow on little pieces of paper.

And once I finish writing my plan for the others, I should ask them to

HIDE THIS FROM THE CAMERA ,at any cost.

Ask Monokuma for an empty freezer or vault for the murder capable of containing a body?

A potential murderer could do that, I should stay very vigilant on this topic.

Perhaps I could pressure Monokuma to not do this, ~~perhaps my saying it would make the game unfair.~~ ”

I sighed. The headmaster already showed he would not hesitate to change the rule and infiltrate agent.

He was even willing to kill me just for resisting, even though I didn’t kill anyone.

I took the ruler and ripped the bit of paper, and put it with the others.

I took another.

“The best way to confront Monokuma is to force him to come here,probably by using …

not going to write this one down either,Monokuma. Hope you have fun watching me .”

The camera was close to me, on the ceiling. I would have went into the toilet, but my collar camera

would have given it away and Monokuma could try and pressure me into not hiding this from him.

I finished eating a little before 12h30 and it was 15H30.I made some pauses,but I had worked at least two hours. It would be enough.

I took all the useless pieces of papers, bent over the bin I put next to my chair, incidentally hiding it’s content from view, and opened my hand. A rain of paper fell.

I walked out of my room, falling on Sayaka and Sakura in an animated conversation.

“Doesn’t it get though, however? To do this every day of your life?”

“Becoming the strongest person of the world is not an easy task, and is not accomplished by shying away from work and hardship. I can’t say I ever had a negative thought about it, even as children.

But this is my destiny, and it is my honor to accomplish it.”

“This is amazing, right ?To pursue a dream, with all your hearth, with all your might, despite the obstacles. I understand this feeling very well. You don’t feel like giving up on your objective is a possibility. You can’t even think about it seriously… That’s why you did what you did,right?”

“...I let the fact that my family oath to protect the dojo was three hundred year old ,something that could never be undone if failed to, distract me from the fact that human life is irreplaceable too.

Inside me, I equivocated the mere thought of not making my pledge sacred and more important to me than anything else a betrayal of everything I stood for, of my entire identity. Thou are right.”

“At least, you’re now more wise than you were before. That’s a good step toward your goal of being the Ultimate Martial Artist,right? “

“...Your insight is precious to me,Sayaka. I will meditate about this.”

“Though you’re already the strongest person on the planet, isn’t it?”

“...”

“Oh, so you didn’t beat him yet?”

“What?!How...”

“I’m psychic.”

“...”

“Kidding! I just have a really good intuition.”

“...”

“Well, okay, I read on your face that I said something wrong, and martial arts aren’t typically a very feminine domain, so I assumed it was a man.”

“You are right. Your perception is quite admirable, Sayaka.”

She giggled.“ Thank you! But...I hope I’m not intruding, but...this man...do you feel anything special for him? That look on your face...”

“...”

She was visibly destabilized, and she lost her composure even more when she saw me listening to their conversation without a hint of shame. I didn’t even realize...I blame the medicine. And their conversation for being so captivating .

“I-I didn’t meant to eavesdrop! I just get distracted by your conversation, I swear!”

“I don’t know what would surprise me the more,”said Sakura.

“That you would voluntarily eavesdrop on us or that you successfully left your room without me noticing. Since I myself lost focus, I suppose I can’t in good faith hold you accountable for that. What you have done is worth more than some secrets that I would eventually trust thou with anyway.”

“I guess inciting Sayaka to guard the dorm with you really was a good idea.”

Sakura and Sayaka nodded.

“So? Do you managed to write down some idea?”the last asked.

“I did . Hum, do you know where Byakuya is?”

“I believe he is in the library. If thou want to meet ,thou should take Sayaka with you. Our discussion was very enlightening, but I am sure she will not mind.”

“Thehehe. Are you a psychic too?”

With that, we walked toward the stairs and went to Byakuya’s supposed location.


	13. Chapter 13

“Byakuya?Are you here?”

“And not alone, sadly. Why are you disturbing me once again?”

Touko was here. The one’s presence Byakuya complained about, doubtlessly.

She was strangely silent. And a little bluish, too.

“It’s good to see you’re respecting the rules. I thought you disliked her?”

“She was the only one who would accept. She is slightly more tolerable when she doesn’t breathe.”

What.No.NO.

“Wh-you can’t do that, Byakuya!”

“I think you meant to say that I shouldn’t. And you would also be wrong. Her breath is terrible.”

“This is madness! Why are you obeying him,Touko?!”

“...”

Right. No oxygen.

“How did you even manage to retain your respiration this much?”

Sayaka cleared her throat.“Byakuya-chan? I know I’m just a singer, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid. A large part of being a pop idol is about pleasing your public. About making yourself look nice, kind and agreeable to look and speak to. About making everyone love you. “

“What message are you trying to transmit?”

“That you don’t want to see what happen when peoples who love you feel betrayed. Trust me,you don’t want this. You’re someone who’s promised to hold a lot of power, isn’t it? You of all peoples should know how important it is to have a nice image. And this is as true in the business world than in a killing game.”

“I can assure you that not breathing the same air as her is vital for my efficiency. And regardless, a small handicap like that is not a problem for me. It make it more of a challenge, in a way.”

“I didn’t knew you could reach the top by putting obstacles in the way. It certainly not like that that I became the Ultimate Pop Sensation. Don’t you think that it will disadvantage you in the long run?”

“This is were you’re wrong. Handicapping yourself to prove your worth is a common practice.

Look at the nature. Why do you think peacocks paint a target on their back with their useless colored feather? Why do some birds put so much effort in making their nest aesthetic by incorporating man-made materials and shiny rocks? Why do gazelle stot when a predator is detected? And this is not restricted to animals.

The colonial lands that French nobles purchased only for the prestige, the self-imposed religious restrictions and punishment, the duels between officer, even the clothes you are wearing to entice your audience. All of these behaviors and facts are remainders of this instinctive truth: challenges, even and especially the ones of your own making, prove your strength, skill and determination.”

“...If this is really what you think. But I am not sure Sakura or Mondo will buy this argument. Surely you can show us that you’re able to be polite toward our class despite the problems it cause you, right? It would show your virtues as well as anything else. Especially considering you spent at least one year with us.”

“What are y-…”

A minuscule instant, realization broke his otherwise controlled composure, but he quickly recovered, without making an attempt to pretend nothing happened.

“Even if Makoto’s theory is true, you’re fooling yourself if you think you’d be able to weaken my emotions in two mere years and trick me into liking any of you. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough.

You may be Ultimates-except for the commoner next to you- with...more or less useful skills ,but even you cannot begin to compare. You showed weakness at the first sign of your objective being menaced, you let your emotions wash away your chances of success and you destroyed your own dream in the process, aside with making a perfectly dispensable assassination attempt.”

She tensed.”I...I didn’t meant for him to be hurt. He wasn’t supposed to...”

“Reality doesn’t care about excuses. Only about intelligence, skill and determination.

If I were in your place...Be assured that I would have successfully killed him without a regret.”

Shame, shock, a flicker of anger then a deceptively neutral expression successively made their apparitions on Sayaka’s face.

“...What did you say?”

I intervened, my hands palms in the air, trying to defuse the situation.“Please, let’s not fight.”

“And you won’t even protect your girlfriend? It is already bad enough that you do not understand that I’m saying the truth, but you won’t even fight for your cause? Even Hifumi and Hiro are at least willing to defend their positions, regardless of how stupid these are.”

“H-hey!”

“You seem incapable of not actively making peoples dislike you. It is another problem that being born rich cause to you?”said Sayaka,her tone not actually hostile, but the contrast with her normal intonations making the message clear.

“I did not-”

“Please stop! This conflict serve no purpose. Byakuya,how come you’re so aggressive?”

Could it be because he is nervous about the idea of being our comrade for a year?

“Come to think of it, I don’t think it’s like you to forget an important information. How come?”

“I have...trouble about conceptualizing myself having to care for your well-beings. This is all.

What did you came here for?”

His tone was more conciliatory, hopefully. I feared that he wouldn’t comply with what I asked after our altercation, and already feared it before, but for some reason, I felt like he was in a receptive mood.

“Sayaka, can you let me alone with Byakuya a second? We will go in the room next to this room and I don’t want him to feel listened to,so you should probably go in the furthest corner. You can read a book during this time if you want,it won’t be too long anyway. ”

“Okay,if you want to.”

I walked toward the other room ,Byakuya in front of me.

I licked the palm of my hand .

When Byakuya reached the end of the room, he turned toward me.

“So?”

Softly, I asked.”Do you plan to kill someone?”

I threw my hands in the air and then turned my palms toward him in appeasement.

He looked at my raised hands, and toward me, then slowly smirked.

“How arrogant of you to ask me that. Did you really plan me to go along and just reveal my answer? Fortunately for you, my position is already clear, and saying my intentions won’t handicap me since you would not know when I would do it. So I can tell you this: I will win this game. Perhaps it will lead to murder. Whatever my true intentions are, you can tell me what you wished to.”

“What I wanted to ask of you is...to let me a little time. I have two plans to escape from here. The second will be ready in three days. So there is no need for murder. There is no need to loose your reputation or put yourself in danger. So please, will you cooperate?”

“Well, would you mind explaining your plan to me?”

“I can’t really do that.”

“I didn’t expect you to. I just wanted to check that you weren’t totally reckless. Very well. I will cooperate. I will admit it, you’ve surprised me Makoto. I didn’t though you had what it took to act like that.”

“Thank you a lot.”

I didn’t knew if Byakuya would hold its promise, but I didn’t have anything to loose.

I called Sayaka who was reading a murder mystery novel .

“We’re finished.”

“Okay, did it go well?”

“Yes.”

“Well that’s great! I didn’t expect this after how he acted. Can you tell me about what it was?I understand if you can’t.”

“It was about asking him if he would murder, and if he would agree to delay his attempt if it was true since we’re gonna get out of here soon. I didn’t want to make him feel menaced or judged.”

“Wow! You already figured out a plan to get out of here? You’re amazing, Makoto!And looking at your answer, I suppose he agreed ?”

“Yes. “

“Hmm...I don’t know how much you can trust his word, but I suppose you know that already, right?Some peoples may think you’re naive, but I know you aren’t.”

Do I really look that naive? I’ve been rather assertive recently…and a probably a little too cynic, even if I didn’t show it.

“Did you find some interesting book,Sayaka?”

“Well,I didn’t had the time to really get into it, and it’s not really my genre, but mystery novels are rather engaging. Plus, it may help me solve a murder if it was to happen again.”

I turned toward Toko,who was still in the room, breathing weakly. At least she didn’t actually stop breathing.

“Why do you obey to this guy? I understand that you like him..well to be fair I don’t understand that either,but don’t you see he has no interest in you? Why do you keep obeying him?”

“S-shut up! You c-can’t understand my love for my w-white knight!It’s not meant to be understood by idiots l-like you! I know that h-he is a strong, assertive, s-superior man that know how to get obeyed. H-he can keep a b-bitch in check.”

“W-woah!” I don’t think I heard anything female-directed that negative coming from a girl before.

“Don’t you want him to be less authoritative toward you and more gentle?”asked Sayaka.

“I w-would never question Master’s o-orders! Not even a second!”

“Would you be happy if he stopped giving you orders?”

“N-not really...I mean,if he wanted to,he could,but...”

...she want Byakuya to boss her around?That’s strange...wait,she is rather self-depreciating,no?

Could it be that she feel like she deserve to be treated like that? Does she feel like she can’t trust herself or doesn’t know how she should act and that she would rather blindly accept orders from someone? I could understand why Byakuya would then be a good choice,it would be far more easy to have faith in someone like him knowing what he does than in yourself if you’re as self-loathing that Toko,at least considering she doesn’t seem to mind the mistreatment so much. I hope she’s not rationalizing everything she endured into lying to herself about how great her love interest is in order to not go back on her choice

“Okay...Well,I hope he will end up liking you.”

“I d-don’t want your hypocritical encouragement! G-go date your b-backstabbing girlfriend or something. I’m sure you’re just into her because an herbivore man like y-you can’t resist to a dominatrix like her.”

Don’t call Sayaka a backstabber and how dare you.

“Would you kill for Byakuya?”

“W-well...”

Hum. So it’s not just a desire to be commanded. She also seem a little scared to hurt peoples. Perhaps she is also interested in Byakuya because he could...keep her in check?

“If you can’t answer negatively to this question without hesitation, then you’re not in a good place to criticize her. Unlike you, she is nice and cooperative. And I think I made quite clear that this is in the past and only due to a moment of emotion, more precisely worry for loved ones. I would appreciate if you didn’t brought it up again.”

She backed off, probably surprised by my now unexpectedly affirmative and authoritative speech.

Wait...isn’t being hold accountable for what she do with authority was she secretly want?This is disturbing. And I suppose that forgiveness is also something she want, even if she don’t feel like she deserve it…

“Anyway, we’ll get going.”


	14. Chapter 14

When arriving on the first floor, we encountered a very down looking Chihiro.

“Hello Chihiro. What happened?”asked Sayaka with a concerned expression.

“N-nothing...” he said, looking even more depressed than before.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want us, but you don’t look like nothing happened.” I said, scratching my cheek

“Well,it’s-”

“Chihiro!Why did you suddenly left?If I have done anything to offend you,I am deeply regretful!”

“Come one,Chi,just tell us. I won’t mock you or anythin’,okay?It’s a promise as a man!”

Chihiro squeaked and scurried into her room.

Sakura had an interrogative expression in the background.

“What happened?”I asked.

“The hell if I know.”said Mondo.

“I must have failed to respect the etiquette, somehow. I cannot believe I failed!” raged Ishimaru.

“Chihiro asked me to train with her, for some reason, and I agreed. I spent some times tryin’ to put some lead into Kyotaka’s head.”

“He is the one seeking troubles! Did you know he pretended that following rules weren’t important?For him, speed limits, usage of an helmet,stopping at an orange traffic light,are *optional* rules! Never was the word “optional” so outrageously used!If it’s a rule,then it’s not optional !The only choice to be made is between being a responsible citizen or a reckless hooligan. I swear,he’s the kind of person who would cross at a pedestrian-crossing red light just because there is no cars, or even walk several meters away from a crosswalk!”

“Those are stupid rules! Especially the two last, and ESPECIALLY the three first!And who’re you calling a hooligan?You’re the type of person who would get stuck on a side of a road just because there ain’t crosswalk on it!”

”It already happened to me once,and it’s nothing to laugh at! And take back whatever negative thing you said about rules!I voluntarily forget what where your exact terms,because I don’t want to soil my spirit with the ranting of a mindless thug.”

“Care to repeat that?”

“Excuse me?I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’d really like to know what happened for Chihiro to be in this state.” diplomatically and innocently asked Sayaka, defusing the situation.

“Oh,yeah. So,I went to the gym after that with Chihiro,who uh,was maybe a little upset about my fight with Taka.”

“That YOU started!”

“You’ve got some guts to say th-”

Sayaka cleared her throat.

“A-anyway,Kyotaka followed me so I could prove him how much of weakl-”

”Please continue,Mondo,what happened next?” interrupted Sayaka.

“...so we could compare our strength.”

“Didn’t Chihiro protest?” I asked.

“Mondo tried to use Chihiro as an excuse to not loose its face by being utterly defeated,so I said that of course Chihiro wouldn’t be bothered by my presence!”

“And did he agree?” Sayaka asked.

“Well, he didn’t deny it.”

Sayaka sighed.

“Once we arrived at the pool,I remembered that Chihiro couldn’t enter the room with her tablet, and that I couldn’t lend mine.”

Taka continued “But I remembered that while lending a tablet was forbidden, nothing prevented her from entering during the interval while the door was open.”

“Yeah,about that, I didn’t thought about it, it’s just mine’s busted, probably cause of the sauna.”

“Oh?Well,it is another evidence that your mental capacities are limited if you didn’t even remember the rules. And loosing your tablet is surely your punishment for your sauna jacket-wearing hubris!”

I sighed.”Taka,I think it would be better to not provoke him and derail the conversation.”

He bowed“Sorry!I deeply apologize!”

_Chihiro was sitting on his bed, curled and hugging himself. “Why am I so weak?I didn’t even have the strength to say no to Kyotaka or to say my secret to Mondo. And compared to them,I’m so...weak.”_

_He lifted his head.”And now they’re probably being questioned by Makoto and Sayaka about what happened._

_Chihiro went to the door and listened.” Oh no...Kyotaka and Mondo are even arguing again!And it’s because of me...” He almost teared up._

“ _No!”Chihiro gathered his courage.“I won’t act like a coward again!”_

_Chihiro was determined. He was going to get out of his room and explain what happened._

_If he wanted to be feel strong,he needed to act like it._

Mondo spoke again.“Also,before he said his idea,Chihiro looked like he wanted to tell me something.”

Kyotaka smiled.“It probably wasn’t that important since she didn’t say it. Hahaha!”

*Clac*

“Hum? Did Chihiro closed his door?I feel like the sound came from here.”I asked.

“You must be mistaken. Chihiro’s door was closed,and there is no point in opening it if you close it just after!“ said Taka.

“Anyway,” resumed Mondo,” We took some weights to train. At first, we went slow for Chihiro. But then rule boy provoked me,so I began to go at it faster to make him swallow his words.”

“I would have been perfectly fine staying in rhythm with Chihiro! But once he started to try to do better than me,I just had to prove that I was perfectly capable of keeping up with him!”

“Then the asshole went faster than me to show off, and I wasn’t just going let him think he was better than me,so I did the same. Maybe I asked him if he was trying to compete me or Chihiro,by doing it so slowly.”

“And then Chihiro left,without reason. I cannot possibly fathom why!

…

Maybe she found your comparison offensive.” finished Kyotaka.

“That can’t be it. She had already stopped before I opened my mouth. I think it was when we were lifting the weights ten times more rapidly than her.”

The hallways became silent for a second once more .

“Tell me,Mondo,did Chihiro explained you why she wanted to train?”I asked.

“Uh,not really? I had to admit, that was a pretty strange time to begin to train. If she was already doing it before, I could understand training as a way to clear her mind, but to do it for the first time...”

I could tell him, but I don’t know if Chihiro would want me to. So I compromised.

“I don’t think Chihiro like how weak she feel she is, and maybe had something she wanted to tell to only you. That’s probably why she was upset. And you’re,uh...rather loud-voice,energetic and authoritative,and she’s rather shy,so that probably scared her a little too. That would be why she didn’t protest when Taka asked her if she was okay with him coming. While we’re at it, she doesn’t seem to be dealing very well with conflict, so...maybe try to not argue when you’re next to her?“

“Uh,I...I didn’t mean to make her feel bad,I swear!She’s a girl, there is no shame in bein’ weak!” said Mondo,holding his hands in the air

“Was...was I that pushy toward her?I...I’m so sorry! Dangit!I was supposed to be the Ultimate Moral Compass,and I...I...I rudely disregarded one of my comrades feelings!And I should also have calmed the situation to safeguard us from any conflict!I AM SO ASHAMED OF MYSELF!

I will go see her and offer her to abandon my Ultimate Title!” Kyotaka said, tears of horror, shame resolution in his eyes (What a strange mix) and snot under his nose.

“You don’t have to do th...”Wait. There was no way Chihiro would accept making Taka giving up on his title,and they would both feel better after it.

“...you know what,go for it. But you should probably give a little time to Chihiro first.”

“Of course!Thank you for your insight Makoto,I almost made another terrible blunder!”

“And uh,maybe you should give your excuses too Mondo.” I suggested.”Otherwise, she may think you’re angry at her for quitting without explanation or something.”

His fist was clenched and his eyes closed.“...My brother wouldn’t be too proud of me right now. I will go excuse myself far what I’ve done, it’s the least I can do...”

“Since you have to stay in group, why not try to understand each other for once? I think you have a lot to learn from each other, and it would help to make sure you don’t enter in conflict again.”proposed Sayaka.

“...I ought to try,I guess.” said Mondo.

“If it’s for Chihiro’s sake,I will do my utmost!” said Taka.

They departed together. I hoped it would work.

“Good thinking ,Sayaka.”

She smiled.“Thank you for the compliment, Makoto!...”

She advanced toward the toilets, out of sight of Sakura. I followed her, not knowing what she wanted.

But it looked like she was waiting for something. Her smile dimmed and she turned away slightly, her hand or her mouth, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“That’s all? You will not reward me?”she said in slightly disappointed tone.

Uh?

“Reward you?How?”

“By kissing me,of course.”

“Wh-hat?We’re in the hallways,someone could see us!” I said,looking around us frantically.

“But there is nothing to hide . Are you saying you’re ashamed of showing the other that I’m your girlfriend so much that you won’t even kiss me?” she said, looking hurt, her eyes pleading for me to disprove what she said.

“T-that’s not it!”

But her smile came back immediately and I understood that I had once again been tricked.

“Then prove it.”

My face red, I looked once again around me before letting my instinct get the better of me and I kissed her on the lips.

“Hmf!”

My lips pressed against her soft ones while my arms helped her body the same for with mine, deforming her breasts now pressed against me.

My tongue was once again blessed by the contact of Sayaka’s mouth, and immediately took advantage of the muffled cry she made to enter inside and dance on her palate, making her moan.

A good thing that my mouth was covering hers since otherwise Sakura would’ve heard it.

Her wide-opened eyes almost closed during this ,her face melting under my tongue; her shocked expression changing for one of dazed trance and delight. Yeah, I was surprised by what I’ve done too. I didn’t expect myself to go this far. Though I was now in a prime position to understand why I would want to go this far;it felt _divine_. Her face was as flushed as mine, possibly even more. But that wasn’t what I was focusing on; what I was focusing on was how _good_ this felt. When I opened my eyes again one second later, they were instantly attracted by Sayaka’s once again widely open ones.

Brusquely self-conscious, I broke my embrace and jolted my head backward.

She gasped trying to find her breath, while I used mine for a far more pressing matter:

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to go that far! I’m not used to being teased!”Though the last affirmation was becoming less and less true.

“What is happening?” asked Sakura,walking toward us.

Oh no. Oh no what was I going to say.

I felt emotional scars of mortification forming already when my hero saved me from this fate.

“N-nothing,Sakura,I just teased Makoto by tickling him and he reacted more...boldly that I thought.

Serve me right for teasing him all day, though I didn’t expect his revenge to be that _physical_.

I guess he didn’t expect me be that affected by his tickling.”

“Ah,I see. My excuses, hearing Makoto’s words and seeing your breathlessness, I thought something happened.“She shook her head. “Though knowing Makoto’s nature,I shouldn’t even have doubter in the first place. I could do a better job at showing my gratitude,frankly.”

“No,no,I understand, this situation was pretty misleading after all. Haha!” I nervously answered.

“I will return to my post now. Good luck with your plan,Makoto.”

“Thank you!”

While she went away,I and Sayaka looked at each other.

“I have to admit I expected a small kiss on the cheek or the lips, not...this.” she smiled.

“S-sorry,I...”

“Who said I didn’t like it?” she teased.

Fighting the flush, I cleared my mind . Maybe checking on Chihiro would be a good idea. If she asked me to leave, I would, but it didn’t cost anything to check, right?


	15. Chapter 15

“I’m going to check on Chihiro. Do you want me to to escort you to another group first?”

“I think checking how Mondo and Ishimaru are managing their conflict would be a good idea.”she answered.

“Okay,I’m following you. Perhaps they went into a classroom?The gym,the pool training room and the sauna would be my second guess.”

Hiro and Hifumi were guarding the kitchen, so I asked them if they had seen Mondo and Ishimaru pass.

“They did, my dude, and they didn’t pass toward us a second time. They were looking far less gung-ho than normal,but I least I suppose they won’t fight.”

We knocked at the first door.

“What the fuck it is that you want? We’re having a discussion.”

We entered. “Oh...sorry,dude.”

“And sorry to you as well,Sayaka!What bring you here?”

Sayaka did the talking.”I just wanted to know if you wanted a third person to be here to make sure nothing go wrong.”

“Thank ya for the proposition...but we need a discussion man-to-man. I swear I will behave.”

“And so will I! He’s right,we cannot have a hearth-to-hearth with a third party,no matter how respectable she is.”

“Got it!”answered Sayaka with her nice voice.

We exited the classroom.

“So,what do you want to do,Sayaka?”

“Hmm...Perhaps I could talk with Sakura again. It’s not going to take you too long anyway, isn’t it?”

“You’re right.”

When we reached the dorm,Sakura approached us and asked us a question.

“Makoto,Sayaka,I am sorry to bother you ,but could you replace me for a small amount of time?”

I looked at Sayaka and she nodded.

“I’m going to take care of it.”she said, going in the corner of the dorm.

“Thank you a lot.”

With that,she went in front of Chihiro’s room and pressed the dingbell.

I thought that she heard me wishing to go see Chihiro ,but when Chihiro opened her door and Sakura entered ,I understood that I was wrong.

“...It looks like you’ve been outstripped by Sakura,Makoto .”

I scratched my cheek nervously. “It appear so.”

Sayaka smiled.“Well,at least I get to do my my turn of guard with my second favorite person in the world.”

“Haha,thank you Saya...w-wait,who’s the first?”

“Thehehehe.Just kidding. But wanting to be the first in my hearth after only a few days...how presumptuous of you,Makoto. You’re lucky you’re cute. ”

Counter-attack!

“I’d rather say I’m lucky to be your boyfriend.”

She crossed her arms in front of her face to hide her blush.

“Kyah!When did you get so cheeky ,Makoto?...You’re not really him, are you? Give me my boyfriend back!”

“T-that was supposed to dissuade you from teasing me again!”

A smirk slowly formed on her mouth.

“I can’t help it Makoto,if you decided to begin to tease the I will have to tease your even more to keep the advantage. Beside, how saying such sweet things to me is supposed to dissuade me?”

Never did I experiment so little control on my cheeks color than around Sayaka.

I could try to out-tease her as much as I wanted, it was a battle doomed to be lost.

After what I would estimate as ten minutes,Sakura exited Chihiro’s room.

“Did it go well?”

“Rather so,yes. Chihiro was in dire need for support and self-respect. What she will do depend on her but I have confidence in her strength.”

Huh? That was a little more than I expected. I knew Chihiro was self-conscious, but I didn’t knew it was THAT severe. And what was the thing she was supposed to do?

Noticing my slight surprise, Sakura spoke up again.

“You will see at the dinner if my and Chihiro’s effort bear fruits. I will take back my post now.“

“Oh right, the meal! I’d like to help to cook to make up for the last time.”

I did have a little time to kill,so…

“I think I will be going with you. It’s not like I have anything else to do right now,and with Mondo,Ishimaru and Sakura out,we risk being a little short anyway.”

“I’m sure cooking with you will be great,Makoto.”

We entered the dining hall,walking past Hifumi and Hiro,and went into the kitchen to begin preparing the meal.

A little later,Hina arrived.

“Whooo!I spent the morning AND the afternoon in the pool!I was afraid for a moment that no one would be my partner but Leon agreed to go with me.”

I’m sure he had no ulterior motive.

“Do you know how to make donuts,Hina?”

“You bet I do!I mean,”she looked downward with sadness in her gaze,”they’re no nearly as good as the bought ones,and I get so hungry while doing them that I end up eating donuts instead of finishing them sometimes, but that’s going to be okay! I will bake delicious donuts!”

I laughed nervously.

“Well, you’re motivated, and that’s what important.”

She ended up eating three of her donuts before we could restrain her and honestly even she seemed to be disappointed by how inferior they were. That did not bode well for us less donuts-centrist person, but we tasted one too and it was fine though a little too sweet and hard. I guess her standards for donuts are just too high.

Everyone entered the dining hall, pair by pair or alone (I suppose those were the ones in their rooms) . Nothing surprising about that.

What was more surprising was that Mondo and Kyotaka had their arms around each other shoulders and were engaged in an amicable conversation, punctuated by “bro” at the end ,the middle and sometimes the beginning of their sentences.

Guess that talk really brought them closer.

“Why are they so buddy-buddy now?”asked Asahina.

“Well, they made Chihiro a little uncomfortable because of their rivalry so they talked it out. With success, apparently.”

“You bet we did ,Makoto! Thank you infinitely for suggesting this to us ,Sayaka!Ugh,that remind me I still have to give my apologies to Chihiro.” said Taka.

“Yeah,gotta do it too. But I don’t regret spending this time discussing with my bro.” said Mondo.

“Aren’t they a little too close?”asked Asahina,sweating.

“There is no such thing as being too close to my bro!” riposted Ishimaru with an unfortunate choice of words.

“Yeah, don’t listen to her bro, she just don’t get our manly bound.”

“Hum..”

“Indeed, my bro! No one could make me negatively think about our relationship anyway!”

“Excuse me!”said a soft but determined voice.

Everyone turned toward the newcomer.

“Chihiro?Oh,why’d you decide to wear pants and a T-shirt?” asked Leon.

I’d never have thought Chihiro would interrupt Taka and Mondo and voluntarily attract attention on her new appearance.

“Maybe she just wanted to change style?”supposed Hiro.

“Not she. He.”

“What?”

“The correct pronoun is he.”repeated Chihiro.” I’m a boy.”

xxx

_Sakura entered Chihiro’s room._

“ _Like I promised,I am here . We are lucky that Sayka and Makoto returned quickly, or else the wait may have been far longer. “_

“ _I guess...”said Chihiro. “What do you want to talk about?”_

“ _I observed you,and thou does not seem to be at ease in your body.”_

_Chihiro fidgeted and wiggled._

“ _R-really?”_

“ _Thou do not seem very surprised, rather worried. Why so?”_

_Chihiro didn’t answer._

“ _And thou also seem rather self-conscious about your strength and lack of confidence. Am I correct?”_

_Chihiro nodded._

“ _Tell me, would you like me to help you?I can make you learn how to reinforce both your body and your mind. You already seem to not be uncomfortable at the idea of being considered unfeminine.”_

_Chihiro expression hardened._

“ _...thou do not seem to agree; yet your actions seem to say otherwise. I am curious. Is there something I don’t know?”_

_Chihiro was visibly uncomfortable.“...it’s nothing.”_

_Sakura expression became more intense.“This expression...is it guilt? Are you hiding something, Chihiro?”_

_Chihiro teared up._

“ _...”_

_Sayaka gently put her and on Chihiro’s shoulder._

“ _It is okay,Chihiro. You do not have to tell me. However, it seem to me that this isn’t just the possibility of your secret being revealed which hurt and scare you .”_

_Chihiro opened his eyes.”What?O-of course it is!”_

“ _But I do not know your secret yet ,Chihiro,nor do have I any way to force you to show it to me. And like I said,I wouldn’t even if I could. Yet, you’re clearly feeling guilty and upset. Are you sure that is it really more easy for you to carry this secret than letting go of it? Either way,you must learn to be at peace with your decision, or your secret will be exposed,if not in reality,at least in your mind,for every day of your life. And your mind is the only think that you can’t escape from,Chihiro. So for your own well being,I implore you to let me help you.”_

_Chihiro whispered,still teary.”I don’t know if I can do it...I’m too weak,I’m too feminine,I’m abnormal...”_

_Sakura took an deep breath.”I do not know exactly what trouble you and pursue you even in the quietude of your room,Chihiro. But if it is about your and other’s perception of your body,about societal norms,I can at least tell you how I dealt with it, from experience.”_

“ _R-really?”asked Chihiro,his mouth opened._

“ _As a woman, I was times and times said that martial arts weren’t fit for me; that I would never succeed; that I was unnatural. Some even mocked my appearance, saying I wasn’t a real girl._

_But I am the living proof that the judgment and insults of other don’t diminish your worth or stop you from accomplishing your dream.“_

_Chihiro gasped.“Y-you too?”_

_Sakura smiled a little.“It may be surprising to you now that I earned the title of Ultimate,but yes,it happened to me too. Though your admission that you have been harassed and belittled by others help me understand your current problems.”_

_Chihiro put his hand in front of his mouth, not having realized what he said._

“ _Of course,I sometimes regret a little some of the sacrifice I have made. I am aware that few, if any,would accept to enter a relationship with me because of my...unappealing appearance. It has caused me some pain recently...but I knew the cost and I will never regret my choice.”_

“ _You’re not unappealing!”protested Chihiro.”I think you’re very cool! And,uh,I’m not sure if you’re saying you have a crush on someone? But if this is the case,then I can say he ‘s a really lucky guy.”_

_Sakura looked briefly surprised, before smiling again._

“ _Thank you a lot ,Chihiro. You truly are a pure hearth. What do you say about meditating to allow you to soothe your mind and allow you to see it too? We can begin training tomorrow,if you wish._

_This choice will be yours to make,once the meditation done. Perhaps that the clarity brought by it will even allow you to decide what to do about your secret.”_

“ _Hum,can we begin right now?I’d like to see what it fell like,and if it help me...”_

“ _Of course.”_

xxx

Chihiro finished his meal first , eating with a determined expression.

The previous revelation was unexpected. Sakura was proud and congratulated him ,which quickly draw the interest and encouragement of Ashina. Leon seemed a bit disappointed, and Hifumi seemed to oscillate between disappointment and enthusiasm. Celeste looked interested ,while Mondo and Taka were surprised but supportive and cheerful. The others didn’t want or dare intrude and asked him why he was cross-dressing before. There was something a little intimidating about Chihiro’s newfound determination, and also in Sakura’s protection.

Chihiro left the dining hall and went toward the dorm.”I’m going to guard the dormitory until nighttime.” He announced.

“Can I come help you as soon as I finish to eat?” asked Sayaka.

Good idea. Chihiro was nowhere near as strong than Sakura,and having two peoples would make it harder to kill her...him without being noticed. Beside, I would be good for Sayaka and Chihiro to interact with more peoples.

“...Okay.”

If it was someone else, perhaps he would have declined, but Sayaka was nice and would hardly make him feel like his masculinity or strength was put into question. And I knew Chihiro was really kind and forgiving, so he wouldn’t give Sayaka a hard time.

She stopped talking to focus and eating and joined Chihiro a few minutes later.

“You’re sure you don’t want a donuts, Hifumi?”asked Hina.

“Thank you a lot,Miss Aoi,but I’m not feeling like it.”

“And you,Celeste?”

“Thank, but I’m not very hungry. Beside, I’m not sure that hey are delicate enough for my palate. Maybe later. Can you come with me,Hifumi?”

She left the dining hall with him.

Mondo and Taka were still eating the main dish, eating energetically but often stopping to talk.

Sakura left a little later, going to her room.

Ashina’s donuts had success, but there still some left; I decided to put them in the kitchen.

Celeste and Hifumi came back a little later, asking for them.

I told them they were in the kitchen and took some to eat them at table, before leaving again.

I followed the other,went to my room,and once the time came,I locked everyone in their room after verifying their presence and making Hifumi leave Celeste’s room. Doing so, I bid a good night to Sayaka,Sakura and Chihiro.

Tomorrow would determine if my plan succeeded or failed. The setbacks I encountered wouldn’t be sufficient to make me give up.

xxx

**Mono-log:**

A:“Upupupupu...you say to me that you could organize a murder if I provide you with a big metallic container with the possibility of putting a human body inside . Do you really believe that it would be that simple? That I’m going to give you my help without reason, without regard to the fairness of the game, without COST?”

Q:“Continue.”

A:“Well you’re absolutely RIGHT! I’m delighted that at least one of you take this game seriously. Honestly, because of this little troublemaker Makoto,I almost died of sheer, complete, monotonous boredom! So to reward you, I will accept your request, in all intimacy of course. It will not be said that Monokuma discourage murder!”

Q: “Good.”


	16. Chapter 16

Monokuma Theater

*curtain open*

Peoples always think that the others are idiots.

“Oh, look at them! They emotion-driven imbeciles! They don’t have a single speck of critical thinking!”

But how do these critiques know THEY’re not the imbeciles?

If so much peoples lack a mean to verify if they are idiots...how do you know you’re not the wrong one? Any argument used to demonstrate the others are wrong can just be attributed to the fact that you are the imbecile, and that you just lack the awareness to understand that your evidence is wrong. If you think half the planet is constituted of imbeciles that couldn’t spot a wrong argument if it was beating them senseless, then that’s mean you have 50% chance of being one of those peoples!

*curtain fall*

xxx

*Ding dong ding dong*

I open my eyes. This is the moment of truth. I take the keys and begin unlocking everyone, beginning by Sakura and Sayaka.

“Good morning Sakura.”

“Good morning to you,Makoto. I am curious to see how Chihiro will fare in this day.”

“Yeah,about that, thank you for helping him solve his problems. You went and entered his room just before the time I planned to do the same,haha. Though I would never have guessed he was actually a boy.”

“Really? My excuses for overtaking thou on this task, though I can’t hide that this is rather amusing.” she smiled. “However,I still think it was a good thing that I was the one to do it. Being versed in martial training, in meditation and control of my own mind, as well as having endured, like Chihiro, insults about my body, critics about being unfit to my gender,and a body that doesn’t correspond it as well. I don’t doubt your skills,Makoto,but it think I was better suited for this task.”

“Chihiro was insulted and harassed for his appearance? And you too? Oh...Then yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Though of course my harassers generally didn't dare to confront me directly, there was plenty of way for them to not directly attack me. Online chats, whispers and laugh in my back, conversation which stopped when I approached, stares on me and reaction each times I did anything.

And at tournaments, guys whose mockery about me being incapable of beating them due to my gender usually turned into vindictive hatred and rage once they were proven wrong.

I wouldn’t consider this a important influence on me, though. I was often alone, the ones attacking me were rare due to my carrure; and I could easily prove those who doubted my strength wrong, while my family’s tradition easily shielded me from any tentative of discrediting my choice.”

“Oh. Well thank for saying me. Oh no, I was totally sidetracked, I have to open the doors!”

“I’m following you,Makoto.”

I stopped in my tracks.

“Oh,and maybe it would be time for us to change our blanket covers? We might as well do it right now.”

“Good idea.”

We put our covers ,blue for me and pink for her, next to our doors.

I walked to Sayaka’s room and unlocked it.

“Hello Makoto!”

“Good morning Sayaka. Take your time to appreciate it: it will be one of the last before we get out of here!”

“So much positivity !That’s what I like about you ,Makoto.”

“That’s all you like about me?” I joked.

“Yes.”

Note to self: stop joking.

“I’d like you to put your blanket duvet out of your room so we may wash them.”

“Got it.”

I decided to go greet Chihiro too. After all, we didn’t knew how to react when he revealed the truth, and I didn’t want to give the impression that it was now awkward talking to him.

“Hi Chihiro.”

“Good morning,Makoto.”

“Are you enthusiast about starting your first day with us under your true identity? I mean, I don’t know if you already revealed your gender at some peoples at some point, it’s just that I didn’t see anything like that on you online.”

He looked sideways, apparently not expecting my answer.“N-no,that’s the first time I did it.”

“Anyway, Sakura told me she believed that you would do the right thing, and she was right. She seemed rather happy.”

“Really? I didn’t pay a lot of attention to her...”

“Yeah, you seemed rather...focused? Determined?I can understand why. Anyway, I have others doors to open.”

“...You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Dressing like a girl when you’re a girl? Well,I don’t know why you did it exactly, but you must have your reasons, right? I’m sure the others understand.”

“But they didn’t speak a lot during last dinner...I felt like it was a little awkward.”

I scratched my cheek.

“Well, it’s not like there is a particular etiquette to follow...They probably just didn’t know what to say. I mean, in their situation, what would you have done? Also, maybe they were scared of being rude, especially knowing that Sakura was now more close to you. One day, I’d like to know what she said to you to make you change your lifestyle after so many years.”

He tilted his head, thinking about it.

“I guess you’re right. Thank you Makoto. I guess I was worrying a little too much.”

“Oh,and before I open the doors to the others ,could you put out your blanket cover?We will wash them today.”

“A-ah? Okay...Let me a little time to do it.”

Once everyone was unlocked, accounted for and instructed to remove their respectives blanket’s quilt, I joined them in the dining hall, accompanied by Sayaka,Asahina and Sakura,and Byakuya who was apparently much more skilled at changing blanket cover that I would’ve thought.

He greeted me with a “Happy to see you didn’t decided to make me wait this time.”

More and more peoples left the dorm to join us.

I finished to eat before everyone arrived, but I waited for them out of respect.

Chihiro was the last to arrive.

Before we got started, Celeste spoke:“To whoever will guard the kitchen, please take care of my e-handbook. Now that it may be used to accede to the pool, I thought it may be wise. I have no use for it and there is no one I can trust to guard it , I wouldn’t want it to be stolen and used for obscene or malignous purpose, hum? If you do so much as touch it,I will rip out your erogenous zones and make you eat it.” she said, her expression making it clear she wasn’t joking.”She then proceeded to put her tablet in the kitchen, accompanied by Hifumi.

The meal was more animated and normal than last time, which dissipated Chihiro’s worries.

“Hey,Chihiro,I just remembered it ,but I wanted to apologize for bein’ insensitive last time.

I didn’t thought about what you wanted or how it would make you feel.

Crap,and you were tryin’ to feel strong and find the courage to tell me about your secret ,huh?

I really messed this up...”

“I wish to express my most sincere regrets too,Chihiro. If I had read the mood and let you two alone instead of dismissing your will and pushing for you to let met train wit you, everything would be fine. I even supposed out loud that what you wanted to say wasn’t important!“ He let out tears of shame.

“I should have studied more socials interactions and be less competitive. Though, now that I think about it, without this incident, I wouldn’t have talked to Mondo so we wouldn’t be best bros, and Sakura probably would not have helped you embrace who you are. “

Regardless!” he pursued, his eyes now dry(how could they dry so fast?)”I promised I would offer you my resignation from my Ultimate position to atone, and even though it was maybe a little excessive in retrospective, going back on my words would justify such a hard punishment, so...I’m fulfilling this promise right now!”

Chihiro smiled.“I don’t think it will be necessary. You’re right, maybe that I wouldn’t have found the strength to do this without Sakura. Beside, the thing I feared was that I would be judged and criticized again, so as long as you don’t do it that’s fine.”

“Of course we won’t! Bullying is the contrary of studying, that’s to say it’s the most dishonorable of act! Harassment will not be tolerated in this school, so feel free to ask for help if you have any trouble.”

“Yeah!”Mondo put his thumb in the air.” Even if you’re not a girl, I’m not going to take back my protection. If you dressed yourself like a girl even though you’re a boy, then it mean you were forced too right? To protect yourself?

Then I would have to be an asshole to do that. You don’t hafta dress like a girl for me to be nice to ya, dude.”

“Ah...thank you Mondo. And...yes, you’re right,I did it to protect myself because...”

“Let me guess ,they made fun of your body and treated you of weakling?” said Mondo.

“You guessed right.”

“So you’re a fellow liar then.” said Celeste.

Chihiro jumped.“W-what?”

Celeste chuckled.”Oh, I am sorry, did you thought I pretended you were lying about your backstory?

Do not worry. An expert liar like me wouldn’t falsely accuse you; I can see a liar, and a truth-teller, when I see one. No, I was simply referring to the fact that we both had to hide a part of ourselves to live. While I would not be bothered by the worthless judgment of others, hiding your emotions is necessary for poker as well as for maintaining a graceful composure. Such an act bear some resemblance with what you have done, yes?”

Chihiro still took some seconds to regain his composure.

“My apologies. I didn’t meant to frighten you.”

Honestly, she didn’t look particularly sorry.

Asahina intervened.“Hey, I don’t want to pry, but how come they’d bully you so hard that you’d have to hide your gender just because you’re not muscled? I mean, I get that there is some mean and dumb peoples at schools but...that’s going a bit far! That’s, like, mega unfair! How come nobody helped you?”

“...”

“I have to admit,”said Hifumi,”I myself was often verbally attacked because of my physique or in reason of my...niche, bold and original interest. They even called me a creep or a pervert-nobody understand the art of what I do!-,but I never had to go at such great length to protect myself. You have all my consideration, Miss Fujisaki.”

“And uh, since when did you had to put up with that? Sorry if you said it already.”

I don’t think I ever seen a photo of Chihiro dressed like a boy, and no one in the blog I visited seemed to know he was a boy.”

Chihiro nodded. “It was since then.”

“Wait...so that’s not just recently? They kept bullying you in every school? That’s not just mega unfair! That’s ,like giga unfair! Super-duper unfair! Ultimate-level unfair!”said Asahina,either not trying or not succeeding to hide her shock.

Sakura growled.“To think they would go that far to harm an innocent person...I wish I could have been in your class all this time,Chihiro. No one should have to suffer this much in a place meant to learn and socialize, especially from such a young age ,and especially not to that extent. You have my compassion, Chihiro. I am happy to know that at least I could help you a little and that you finally overcame this.”

I intervened.“And everyone here will support you. This was the last time you had to put up with this.

When we escape and actually graduate, you will be one of the best programmers in the world and no one will be able to force you to do anything you don’t want.”

“Yeah!” said Asahina.

“I’m the chillest dude you will ever find!”laughed Yasuhiro.”You can count me in.”

“Honestly, I liked you a lot as a chick, but that just mean I will also like you as you are ,right? And I would never do something as uncool as bullying.”said Leon.

“For me, having peoples whose habits or clothes don’t match the expectations of their gender is basically normal, so do not worry,Miss Fujisaki! Beside,I would never refuse to participate in a scene of moral support.” said Hifumi.

“As the heir of the Togami Corporation, I can confirm that your worries are unnecessary. Such an action would be irrational and I wouldn’t loose my time bothering you anyway. But please,help me not loose my time with you. ”

“I g-guesss I can u-understand how it feel to be a-abnormal, so I will let you alone. That’s all I want anyway.”

“Thank you a lot...everyone?”said interrogatively Chihiro, asking himself if he should really include Byakuya and Touko. Still, his eyes were slightly wet.

The breakfast unfolded without incident.

“Hum...does that bother you if I pair with Leon,Sayaka?I’d like to talk to him a little.”

“That’s fine!I think I will go in my room and compose a new song, I feel inspired. Maybe I will try to see if Chihiro is free once I’m done.”

“I’d be very happy to accept.” said Chihiro, smiling.

Mondo and Taka left together to guard the dorm, dismissing Sakura’s affirmation that she could take care of this by herself and insisting that she should relax, much to the pleasure of Asahina; which finally made Sakura concede at the prospect of going to swim with her friend.

“I’m not gonna hold back ,Sakura!I’m totally gonna win the swimming competition!”

“Thou wouldn’t be the Ultimate Swimmer otherwise. But I am curious to see how closely I can follow you.” she answered, smiling.

Byakuya also left the room, and Touko let her unfinished bowl on the table to follow him.

Kyoko was the next one to depart, announcing her intention to go read in the library with the two others.

“Hum, would you be okay with training with me,Leon?Since you’re a sportive, you must have a lot of experience.”asked Chihiro.

“Uh, not really. Training suck, you know? Getting tired and sweaty is so totally uncool. Beside ,I don’t need it.” he said, with a dissatisfied face.

“Oh...I see.”he answered disappointed.”It’s just that you looked so strong...”

Chihiro cuteness probably still affected Leon, since he answered:”No biggie, man. If it’s to help you, it’s not really training. Not like I will have to give it my all. And anyway, I gotta prove that I’m not bullshitting you about me being strong, right?”

Leon went with Chihiro ,presumably in direction of the pool.

“Hey dude, why did you stay away from the girls while you were crossdressing? If I was you,I’d totally-” did we still heard in Leon’s diminishing voice.

Celeste went away but a second later, accompanied by Hifumi.

I was left alone with Hiro to guard the kitchen.

Hiro decided to go grab some food since he had to stay in the dining hall. We then returned in the dining hall to have some privacy for discussing; two peoples were guarding the dorm, no need for us to guard the entrance.

“Man! It suck.” he complained, after finishing a toast.”If I’d know that I would end up guarding the kitchen, I would just have joined a group.”

“I don’t think anyone else was free anyway, we would have been forced to do it anyway.

Asahina was waiting for an occasion to be able to train with Sakura,Mondo and Ishimaru already guarded the kitchen last time and nothing could convince them not to hang out,Chihiro want to train and Leon is the only one left fit to help him with it, and let’s not even speak of convincing Byakuya.”

“Yeah you’re right...Hey, if I can to get to know you more, maybe this isn’t too bad. And hey,like that, I can show you my powers.”

“Oh, yeah,voyance. 30% of accuracy, right? Is there no better seer in the world than that, though?I-I don’t mean to offend you, it just seem...low?”

“It may seem low, but since all the other seers are charlatan, it’s not THAT hard to become ultimate clairvoyant as long as you got powers. Beside,30% accuracy is pretty good when you think about it.

I’m pretty sure there are secret agencies and government experts board who score less than that by using far more resource. But me? I can do as much predictions, as I want, for free. I mean, free for me, not for the client, haha. Though when compared to how much expert committees and detectives cost, it could as well be.”

It’s true that when you thought about it...this power was kinda scary, actually.

“Wait ,so you could do predictions non-stop and entirely predict the future, as long as you’re ready to wrongly prepare yourself for three times the number of correct predictions?”

“Well, yeah,but there is some limits. For instance, I don’t really control on what the prediction is.

I can’t ask very accurate question, just choose a subject, a person or a time. And uh, about the 30% prediction rate, I can’t just ask multiples time the same question to see which one reappear, because I will have the same result until the prediction is proven wrong. And I can’t modify just a little the question to cheat by seeing if some answers come back.

Still, pretty good for something’s that cost only 100 000 euros, right?”

“T-that’s far too costly!”

“Well, that’s what I made pay important peoples anyway, and for now they all accepted to pay it.

Though if it’s a personal, less important question, then I’m ready to lower by prices by ninety percent!”

That’s a big reduction.

“That’s still too much for me!”

“Okay, tell you what: I will give you one prediction for free ,and then you will like it so much you won’t be able to live without my predictions!”

“If you want to...what can you predict about me?”

“Hum...I see that you’re gonna wear a collar for the rest of your life. Perhaps you’re gonna take a liking to the collar you’re wearing and decide to keep wear one by the time we escape.”

“What? That’s a stupid prediction! I’m not gonna do that!”

“Sorry, little dude, I don’t make the rules. It’s gonna happen 100% sure, with 30% of accuracy.”

“I suppose you can’t just do a prediction to see if your prediction was right?”

“Alright! Here we go. Hum, it say that my prediction was...wrong.”

“I told you!”

“You don’t understand, little guy. Since my prediction is wrong 70% of the times, then my last prediction was probably true.”

“Wait...that mean you have a 70% accuracy on closed questions?”

“Yep! It took me so long to think about it, but I was pretty happy when I found out about it!

That was 50 000 euros,by the way. ”

“What?I didn’t agree to pay to anything!”

“How that? I told ya my prices beforehand, right?”

“But...but...I was just asking for...you never said anything about a 50 000 euros prediction anyway!”

“That’s because making a prediction on a prediction is like, extra hard! I should make it cost as much than a big prediction, but since I’m a cool dude, I make you only pay half of it. You should be happy!”

“Well I’m not!”I loudly protested.

“Alright, alright, tell you what: considering the situation, I will make you pay only one percent of what you should normally pay for this. Else, I won’t make predictions to you anymore.”

“I...I don’t care!”

“Huh...so you got a sister, Makoto?”

“How would you know?”

“Well I asked if we shared any familial links and...”

“What? Are we extended family? Why would you want to know that?”

“It’s just that peoples are more receptive when they know that...never mind, beside right now we’re not family.”

He was totally gonna use emotional blackmail to get me to pay if we had a familial link!

“How that, right now? And how do you know I have a sister, what does that have to do with your question?”

“I’d love to answer, but you decided to not pay me for my last prediction, so...otherwise, I would have told you for free.”

“Gah!”

But it involved my sister, right?What if something terrible was going to happen to her?

“O-okay,I will pay! What’s your prediction?”

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

“Well, when I asked if I had any familial link with you, it answered:”Soon.””

“What?But how could you suddenly gain a familial link with you?”

“Haha!You’re so funny,Makoto.I can’t wait to be brother in law with you.”

“Wha-NOPE! I refuse! Denied!”

“Hey, do your family have a lot of money? Maybe I will be able to pay my debt once I’m married.”

Something terrible was actually going to happen to her, but I still regretted to have paid...no, simply knowing this prediction was a curse. But I had to be strong and to prevent this future from ever happening. For Komaru.

He hummed thoughtfully.“...do you know if you receive a lot of welfare money from the state when you’ve got a lot of children?”

I take back what I said. Nothing is worth thinking about that. The only way to keep my sanity is to believe this prediction was wrong. I have to keep hope.

“Do you want me to verify this prediction? Though it will be a little more c-”

“NO!”

We continued to guard the kitchen for about an hour. It was about 9h30. I talked to him a little more to try to think to something else, which was really hard without something to distract me.

I was beginning to be little bored.

Suddenly, a familiar sound resonated.

*Ding dong,ding dong*

“A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!”

“What the hell?”exclaimed Yashuiro. ”That’s not possible!We were all in groups. I-It’s just a collective hallucination!A prank,possibly! “

I took Hiro by his arm.“Come with me!”

I exited the room ,slamming the door,my hearth beating so heavily that I felt like it would explode.

I encountered a shocked Mondo and Kyotaka,still tetanized.

“Where is Sayaka?”

“She didn’t left her room!”

That allowed my hearth beating to become somewhat more moderate, but I didn’t let this break my focus.

“We’ll check the first floor, make sure she’s stayin’ with you.” groaned Mondo.

He took off running,

“Don’t run in the hallw-”

and was almost reprimanded by Taka until he came back to his sens and followed him.

Just before I could knock on the idol door, she opened, the expression on her visage reminiscent of the one she wore after her motive video.

“Makoto,you’re safe...”

I put my hand on her shoulder.”We need to find the body, please come.”

Celeste’s door opened, looking reserved and prudent. Her face was a blank mask and her tone controlled and neutral, but you could almost see the cogs turning in her head.

“What happened? Who was killed?”

Another door was abruptly opened.

“W-w-was someone k-killed?” cried out a very sweaty Hifumi.

“We need to find the body. Come with me!”

We ascended the stairs quickly, our shoes clacking on them at each step.

A door banged loudly against a wall.

“Everyone, come here!” cried out Sakura in an authoritative and grim voice, filled with barely contained rage.

I ran to join her.

“What happened? Who is the victim?”

But she was already back into the gym.

“No...That’s not POSSIBLE!” Her voice was filled with horror and above all anger.

I entered the changing room before the door closed itself.

I was then confronted with a gruesome sight.

In front of me,a small pool of blood under his neck and his throat smashed, was the motionless body of Leon Kuwata,the Ultimate Baseball Star.

But it wasn’t the worst aspect of the scenery.

A pair of eyes were laid out on his hands; his own, blues ones.

But it took me a little time to register it.

Because Leon’s orbits weren’t empty, contrary to what one may think.

Since they were filled with the brown-green eyes of Chihiro Fujisaki,the Ultimate Programmer.

*Ding dong,ding dong*

“A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!”

I screamed.“HaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA!”

“Damn it!I wasn’t able to protect him!” raged Sakura.

She put her hand around a shell-shocked Asahina, her tears dripping on her cheeks, and turned her around, making her go into the pool away from the gaze of others and our friend’s bodies.

Sayaka,Celeste,Hifumu,Mondo and Taka entered the gruesome crime scene but one second later.

“Oh...is Miss Leon de-What is thiissss!!!?” screamed Hifumi.

“What are you crying for,you id-oh.Oh.”

“No!Why would such a thing happen again? No one,but two classmates lost! This is insane!” said Kyotaka,tears in his eyes.

“What is...who is the psychopathic fuck that...I said to Chihiro that wouldn’t treat him differently, so to whatever monster did this, don’t expect any mercy from me just because he isn’t a chick!”

Kyoko,Byakuya and Touko were here shortly after; the last one closing her eyes before entering.

“I d-don’t want to see b-blood…” she grumble-whined.

“What a faint of heart you are. Anyway, let’s being the investigation.“

“We have no time to loose.”agreed Kyoko.”Be sure to not interfere with any evidence.”

“I am...afraid I can’t help, I need to go to the bathroom.” Celestia said, trying to hide her disgust and nausea.

Kyoko is right...what happened to Chihiro and Leon is horrible ,but...we can’t let that prevent us from bringing justice to them. Chihiro,Leon...we won’t let your death stay unpunished!

**Investigate**

Clearing my mind and steadying my resolve, I looked at the body.

The apparent cause of death was the broken, open, bloody throat of Leon.

...What a strange place to hit someone. It’s would be very hard to hit, and it’s not like striking at the head would be less efficient. So why?

“ **State of the body” added to the Truth Bullet section**

Next to him was a bloodied dumbbell. It looked rather distinctively like it was the murder weapon.

“It correspond to the injury, yes.”

“Hey, reading thought is my job...”chuckled Sayaka, weakly and without mirth.

“W-what? Are you psychic too ,Kyoko-san? Hum,I mean, it is intuition?”

Without stopping to investigate the body, she answered.

“You were looking at the obvious murder weapon. No need to read mind or to very observant to guess what you were thinking, especially with this face of yours.”

I laughed weakly, pointing my finger toward my head.“...What’s wrong with my face?”

“Nothing at all. If you like to display your thoughts and emotions for everyone to see, it’s your choice.”

G-geez,she make it sound like I wasn’t wearing clothes or something.

Anyway, back to the dumbbell. There was a good amount of blood in it, and the red liquid visibly dripped on the floor under it. There was a short line of dry dark red leading to the body, but other marks of blood were to be seen.

Kyoko put her finger on the training tool.

“The blood isn’t entirely dried. It left the body an hour ago, at most. Half an hour, at least. But nothing we didn’t already knew. ”

Around fourty-five minutes ago, and no signs of being moved...Okay.

“ **Bloodied Dumbbell” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I looked back at the body. There was a pool of blood under Leon’s throat...but it really wasn’t that big, considering the open wound. I should remember that.

“ **Small Pool of Blood” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I had a last thing to investigate, but… I really didn’t want to. I elected to interrogate Kyoko to see if she had already investigated it. I sure hoped she did.

“Hey,Kyoko. Did you investigate the...the eyes?”

“Yes. And I found something rather interesting. The eyes of Chihiro were watery.”

This was hearth-breaking. “Poor Chihiro...he was probably so scared...no wonder he cried.”

She shook her head. “Those weren’t tears.”

“Not tears? But...how do you know it?”

“Because I tasted it.”

“You...”

Eww.EWWW.

“It wasn’t very good. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t drinkable.”

“I don’t want to know!”

“You should.”

At least she didn’t directly licked the eyeballs...I hope.

“ **Chihiro’s Wet Eyes” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“What else did you remarked from Leon’s body?” she asked me.

“Hum ,that there isn’t a lot of blood, and no other marks?”

“Good, but you missed something else. There is no bruise on his neck.”

“...What does that mean?”

“You really don’t know? This is common knowledge. You could just look it up on the intern-...well, it’s a bit late for that, but let me say this: bruises don’t form on dead bodies. And breaking the spinal cord in the neck is no sufficient to stop the hearth completely, thus bruise can still form. “

“What are you getting at?”

“You will see.”

I get it, you’re mysterious and smart, no need to show off.

“ **No Bruise On The Neck” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“Anyway, how do you know this? Are you not amnesiac?”

“...I don’t know.”

This is pretty weird. Perhaps her memory is coming back? Perhaps it is her instinct? I know some amnesia let you retain practical knowledge.

I will need to investigate this, after I finish the current actual investigation that is.

“And another thing: there is blood in his mouth and on on his lips.”

“Maybe he coughed blood when his jugular’s blood went into his throat?”

“Perhaps, but that would mean his neck was still intact before his death. He couldn’t have coughed blood if he was paralyzed or unconscious. You will also notice there in no mark of blood or coughed blood on the ground.”

“Then...do you know what happened?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be investigating, would I?”

I’m sure she had an idea of why. She just don’t want to tell me...

“ **Blood in Mouth” added to the Truth Bullet section**

What else could I investigate? I didn’t see anything noteworthy around.

Perhaps I could ask Sakura if anything caught her eyes.

“Hey Sakura,did something attracted your attention? I don’t see any other evidences.”

“Well, yes, there is something strange. When we entered the changing room, the body discovery announcement rang. But we had to wait for you to enter before the second announcement rang. I asked Ashina and she did spot Chihiro’s eyes, not like the mastermind would have any way to know if she didn’t.

Right, that was strange. I should keep this in mind. Last time, three peoples were needed to trigger the announcement, so why..?

“ **Body Discovery Announcements” added to the Truth Bullet section**

The door opened and Ashina came back.

“I don’t understand...Why would anyone kill Chihiro?Why him? And what kind of monster would kill two peoples? If they really wanted to go out, why didn't they just murder Byakuya or something.”

“Perhaps they understood that I am worth more than him.”

“How can you say that?!”she cried.”I hope you’re the murderer and that you will get executed!”

“Be warned ,if you disrespect Chihiro but once more, you will regret it. Your status won’t protect you here.” threatened Sakura.

Byakuya snorted but didn’t talk back.

Regardless of Byakuya’s total lack of empathy and modesty, Asahina had a point.

Why kill two peoples? Was there two murderers, or was the blackened hand forced?

“Sayaka,you said to me last time that if multiples murders occurred, the first one perpetuated would be solved first, right?”

“Yes, this is the rule. “

I should memorize this. It will probably be useful in the future.

“ **Double Murder Rule” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I think I cleared this room. Let’s go to Chihiro’s one.

“Can someone go with me? I want to investigate Chihiro’s bedroom.”

“No need for that!” said a very recognizable voice in the speakers.”No murder are allowed during an investigation. Thank for nothing!”

Oh, my hero.

One day, he will pay for what he had done.

In retrospect, the last investigation was a bit risky. Hopefully Monokuma would’ve interrupted any attempt.

But before returning to the hallways,I looked at the detector in front of each changing room.

You needed to pass your e-handbook to open it, if your e-handbook had the good sex registered on it. Does that mean a girl was involved?

“ **Pool ID System” added to the Truth Bullet section**

When I reached the dorm, Chihiro’s and Leon’ blue covers were still here, like a grim reminder that they would never get to climb in their beds to enjoy a good night of sleep. The only rest they would get now would the eternal one…My throat tightened. If I had acted more early...maybe they would still be alive. Fighting back tears, I remarked that one cover was missing. Mine.

That was rather strange. But it couldn’t possibly be related to the crime, right?

“ **Missing Blanket Cover” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I tried to open Chihiro’s door but it was locked.

Yasuhiro was here.

“You found that the little guy’s door was locked too, didn’t ya? I already tried to find the key in your room since Kyoko asked me to check out the boy’s dorm, but it wasn’t here. Do ya know where it is?” he asked. I went into my room to find it; I searched on the other drawer, on the floor, under, but it simply wasn’t here.

Why was his door locked, and why was the key missing?

“ **Locked Chihiro’s Room” added to the Truth Bullet section**

I had more success with Leon’s door, but nothing of interest was to be found.

Sayaka would never get the chance to make him forgive her.

I went into the kitchen, to see that Sayaka and Asahina were here.

“Hi Makoto. I suppose you want to see if anything is missing?” said the former.

“Yes, you’re right.”

“Well, you’re lucky. We did all the job for you. And one building kit is missing. I didn’t check how many kits there were before, but I can easily infer it.

There are eight boys, and only seven toolkits right now. Everyone brought their kits the first time, we didn’t memorized how many kit of each kind there were but the total was fifteen.

There is seven sewing kit, like one could expect. There is no knife or anything else missing.”

“So that’s probably the murder weapon, right? Or at least it was used by the blackened. I see no other reason for it to be missing.”

“ **Missing Building Kit” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“Yeah. If we continue like that, we’re gonna get the culprit in no time!” said Asahina.

But she was still obviously rather affected by Chihiro’s death.

“I will check the kitchen anyway, just in case.”I informed them.

I counted the kits to confirm they were right.

I also noticed an e-handbook in the kitchen. I motioned toward it to verify which person owned it.

“ _If you do so much as touch it, I will rip out your erogenous zones and make you eat it.”_

Right. Celeste’s one. She left it in the kitchen this morning.

“ **Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen” added to the Truth Bullet section**

What else to do? Maybe I should check the second floor, since that’s where the murder happened.

I don’t see someone killing these two in the first floor when they were supposed to be on the second one, then somehow managing to go upstairs with Leon’s body without being caught.

I encountered Ishimaru in the hallways.

“Makoto!Terrible new !Not satisfied with only murdering two of our innocents classmate, the blackened choose to make a mayhem out of totally respectable classroom! This is the cherry on the top of the cake of misconduct! ”

Please don’t compare the seriousness of a double murder with that of a messy classroom.

When I followed him in the classroom closest to the pool, on the second floor, I was greeted by a curious sight: all of the tables were upside-down.

“Ngh! Clearly,this is a provocation! A testament to the irredeemabliness of the culprit!”

“I don’t think you should be so upset about that.”

There is no way this isn’t linked to the murder ,but how?

“ **Upside Down Tables” added to the Truth Bullet section**

“I think I could do some more search on this floor...”

“No need for this,Makoto. Kyoko and me have investigated the second floor.”answered Kyotaka.

“That’s good.”

*Ding dong ding dong*

“You thought you would have twice the time because there is twice the murders, right?Wrrooonnnng! All this action made my adrenaline flow like cash in an unscrupulous billionaire virtual pocket! So this is time for the classss triaaaal~!Please meet me at the usual emplacement. See you soon!”

Already? I wasn’t feeling more advanced than the last time. If anything, I was even less confident.

We solved “Junko’s” murder before despite my initial confusion, but it did little to cheer me up.

Deep in thought, I didn’t even took conscience that I was walking until I reached the red door.

I opened it. In front of me was the escalator.

Kyoko and Byakuya were already here.

“Do you feel more confident than last time,Makoto?” she asked me.

“Not really...no one was unsupervised.”

“But it didn’t stop you last time. So stay determined. I promise we will get trough this.”

“Indeed.”confirmed Byakuya. “I would never let myself die from such a petty game. None of you here is worthy enough to kill me. I will find the killer.”

“Master!I almost lost you!” Touko arrived in running.

“It was the goal, yes.”

“Eeeh!You don’t believe I’m the culprit,do you?”

Everyone arrived one by one.

“Regardless of what I have done before, I will not forgive this murder.” grumbled Sakura.

Asahina looked sad.“I don’t want to think one of us here would do something so terrible...but I won’t refuse to face the truth. For Chihiro. For Leon!” she said ,adopting a resolute expression.

“I already failed him once...I ain’t failing again! I swear on my man pride that the murderer will pay!” said Mondo,making crack his knuckles.

“As said my bro, we need to uncover the truth. If the law can’t help us here...then we will become the law!” he affirmed, his arm pointed in the air.

“I almost killed Leon, and I almost killed someone as good and innocent than Chihiro...”softly said Sayaka.”I didn’t even had the chance to show him I really regretted my actions before he died…”

She straightened her composure.

“So the least I can do to atone is to help bring justice to them.”

“Miss Fujisaki...If only I had know what was going to happen to he-him,I...I don’t know how I could have protected him, but I wish I could have done it.” sadly said Hifumi.

But someone was missing.

“Where is Celeste?” I asked.

“I am here.”

She arrived at last.

“I was simply in the toilet.”

Ah, yeah, vomiting.

So she stayed in here during all the investigation...Yeah, I can’t really blame her for having her stomach returned. Plus she didn’t seem to like very much the idea of investigating something so repulsive, she had a refined personality. At least, we can be sure she didn’t mess with crimes scenes during the investigation.

“ **Celestia in Toilets” added to the Truth Bullet section**

This was it. This murder was seemingly impossible. We were all in pair or in our dorm at the moment of the incident. Yet not one, but two of our friends were murdered in a gruesome fashion.

Leon Kuwata,The Ultimate Baseball Star,before he could forgive Sayaka;and Chihiro Fujisaki,the Ultimate Programmer, before he could finally enjoy his life without having to hide his identity.

Leon was maybe a bit of a womanizer and a little bit capricious, but he didn’t lashed out at Sayaka when he learned what she had done and was nice to speak with.

And Chihiro was probably the one who deserved least death out of anyone here. He finally found peoples who accepted him as he was, as well as the strength to tell us the truth...yet this ray of hope was crashed by the darkness of death and the selfishness of the blackened.

We entered the elevator, once more.

But the anticipation was just as high as the last time.

For all we knew, up to two peoples out of the twelves remaining were murderers.

And soon, one or two of us would...No. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

The only peoples who would die in this trial…

Would be the murderers.

_Hello again. Before we begin this class trial, I’d like to remind you of the rules. You wouldn’t want to have to return to the first trial and scroll downward just because you forgot them, right? Groups of words which look like_ **this** _can be refuted trough the use of truth bullets, while those which look like **this** can be agreed with. A truth bullet can be used at multiples occasions. If there is no truth bullet, then you will have to do a blank shot on the suspect slip-up or on any wrong statement. If multiple statements contradicts each other, just load one to shoot at the other._

_If you happen to see this text :_

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_You are encouraged to pause your reading to find a solution._

_Below is another reminder of all the truth bullets you collected during the investigation._

**State of the body/Bloodied Dumbbell/Small Pool of Blood/Chihiro’s Wet Eyes/ No Bruise On The Neck/ Blood in Mouth/ Body Discovery Announcements/ Double Murder Rule/ Pool ID System/ Missing Blanket Cover/ Missing Building Kit/ Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen/ Upside Down Tables/ Celestia in Toilets**

_If you changed your mind since last time and wish to participate, or if you enjoyed it the first time and desire to do it again, then I bid you good luck. Whatever is your choice, I wish you to enjoy this second trial._

xxx

“Lets begin with a basic explanation of the class trial. So your votes will determine the results!

If you can figure out “whodunnit” then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one...then I will punish everyone beside the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone will graduate!”

“So...what about beginning by the obvious problem? How could a murder happen when all of us were either in the dorm, guarded by Mondo and Ishimaru. or in pair?”proposed Celeste.

“This problem can be easily solved. An obvious answer would be that one person cooperated with the blackened. The other one would be that the killer used an unknown mean to escape surveillance.

If two peoples died, then it is highly probable that there are two killers, which would give a motive to not reveal the absence of the other murderer. If each one kill someone and cover the other, then they both would have a chance to escape.”

“Of course, if a trick was employed and that here is no accomplice, then maybe one of the person was killed in order to fake this scenario, or maybe another unrelated murder occurred simultaneously .”continued Kyoko.

“Man, this is so complicated. Why not try to determinate the murder’s weapon first?” interrogated Hiro.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Missing Knife** **/** **Correctly Placed Nameplates** **/** **Sakura’s Testimony** **/** **Bloodied Knife**

“The murder occurred during their training...”

“They were **training in the boy’s changing room** ,right?” said Asahina.

“The murderers sneaked into the changing room **with their e-handbook** then they took a dumbbell and **st** **r** **uck** **Leon in the throat**! Then, **they just let the body in the room**...”

“What about Chihiro?”

“I dunno,maybe he got killed too then **transported**?”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **training in the boy’s changing room** > **t** **he** **y** **just let the body in the room**

I stopped Hiro.

“That cant be it!”

“Hu?Why?”he asked.

“Like Asahina said, they were training in the boy’s changing room at this moment.”I answered.

“Well, that’s where the body is, right? In the changing room?” he affirmed.

“Ah,I see! The body is in the girl’s changing room.” answered Asahina.

“Oh...right.Well,maybe they were killed in the girl’s changing room? I don’t know what they would be doing here, but...”

“There is an evidence that show that Leon wasn’t killed here either.”I said.

** _ Select a truth bullet: _ State of the body/Bloodied Dumbbell/Small Pool of Blood/Chihiro’s Wet Eyes/ No Bruise On The Neck/  Blood in Mouth/ Body Discovery Announcements/ Double Murder Rule/ Pool ID System/  Locked Chihiro’s Room / Missing Blanket Cover/  Locked Chihiro’s Room/ Missing Building Kit/ Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen/ Upside Down Tables/ Celestia in Toilets **

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_ **Evidence** _ _ :  _ **Small Pool of Blood**

“The pool of blood under Leon’s neck simply seem too little to me.”

“You are correct, Makoto.” approved Kyoko.“Considering how open Leon’s throat was, there should have been far more blood. The murder simply couldn’t have occurred here, at least not with a dumbbell.”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **No Bruise On The Neck/ Body Discovery Announcements/** **Bloodied Dumbell** **/ Pool ID System**

“Then...maybe they were **moved after**! Maybe the killer **moved** **the** **dumbbell** **outside the room** with them, and killed Leon with it **somewhere else**?“ persisted Yasuhiro.

“W-why would they do something s-so useless and dangerous,s-stupid?” attacked Touko.

“To make us think they had **another weapon at their disposal**!Or maybe _**someone else gave them this dumb**_ _ **b**_ _ **e**_ _ **l**_ _ **l**_?”

“I did not,and I think such a person would have said it by now...”countered Sakura.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_ **Rebuttal:** _ ** Bloodied Dumbell > moved the dumbbell outside the room **

“The dumbbell wasn’t moved Hiro. It would’ve left a mark on the floor. And there  is  enough blood  next to it to  say that it wasn’t covered with something to prevent the blood from falli ng;how would you transport the blood here? ”

“ A dumbbell make a shitty weapon for attackin’ someone by surprise anyway, especially if you’re not very strong ,and especially if you can only hit the throat. The poor dead fella is a sportsman, he would’ve parried a blow coming from in front of him with his arms without a doubt.” said Mondo.

“If the dumbbell wasn’t used...then what could be the murder weapon? The kitchen was guarded, right?” said Asahina.

“If there was an accomplice, maybe they stole it while they guarded the scene.” said Sakura.

“Ishimaru and Mondo were guarding it often, is it not?”

“W-well, yes, but...we never separated! We always mounted guard together!”

“It would have been a little dangerous, but it wouldn’t have taken so much time.” said Celeste.

“One would not even need to guard the scene. They could just enter the kitchen two at a time just after eating, or more probably pass the guards with a pretext.”

Asahian sweated.”I’m not sure I can remember everyone who got past me!”

Ishimaru looked at the ground.”I,uh,maybe discussing with my bro distracted me a little...I know a lot of peoples did get past me in groups. I am sorry!”

Mondo comforted him.”Don’t be ,bro. I’m to blame too. Should’ve been more careful. And was anythin’ even missing?”

Sayaka answered.” We already counted the knives before, and their number has not changed.

But about the kits, something is missing. There is seven sewing kits and the same numbers of building kits, but since we now know there is one boy more, that mean one was took. If Chihiro took more time to reveal himself as a boy, we would have been mistaken on the missing kit. The blackened probably remarked that Chihiro was a boy, took the building kit some times ago, and was forced to use this weapon despite the trick not working anymore.

The golden sword is still here. That’s all.”

“So this how it went...”said sadly Ashina.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **No Bruise On The Neck/State of the** **B** **ody/** **Bloodied Dumbell** **/ Pool ID System**

“Some time ago, the murderer used their accomplice to **get a building kit** with a hammer inside.

Their **trick was put down** by Chihiro revealing his gender, but they decided to give it a go anyway; they attracted Leon somewhere...”

“They would have more ease to do that **if they were a girl.** ” softly remarked Sayaka, a trace guilt in her voice.

“...and **hit** **him** **in the head with it,** killing him! They then moved the body in the gym and **used the dumbbell as a distraction** by **hitting him with it too...** ”

“Poor Chihiro...he didn’t deserve that...” said Hifumi.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **State of the Body** > **hit** **him** **in the head with it**

I stopped her.“One minute, Asahina. Try to remember the state of the body. He had no mark on his head . So he couldn’t possibly have been struck on the head with a hammer.”

“Oh,”she said, dejected.”I guess you’re right, I didn’t give too much attention to the body, because...”

“No need to say more,Asahina.”reassured her Sakura.”We understand perfectly.”

“Is there really nowhere were Leon could have been hit with a hammer without letting a visible injury show,though?” asked Celeste.

**Is there such a place? And if yes, where?**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Answer:_ ** **on his neck**

“What if he was struck on his neck? The dumbbell would not only have been used as a distraction, but to cover evidences too.”I said.

“ This is what I thought.”said Sakura.

“Wouldn’t hit someone in the throat with a hammer be a little difficult? If he used his arms, that would prevent the hit from reaching the target...” said Hiro.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Small Pool of Blood/No Bruise On The Neck/ State of the** **B** **ody**

“If the blackened **had an accomplice** to  **prevent Leon from moving his arms or body** , it would not be that difficult.” retorted Celeste.

“ It would confirm that the two hypothetical murderers cooperated, and that one person alone didn’t do it...So we could probably  **rule out the idea of a single murderer** .” I said.

“So we found the murder weapon...Leon was killed with  **a hammer strike on his throat** !”

victoriously said Asahina.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Rebuttal_ _:_ ** **_ No Bruise On The Neck> _ a hammer strike on his throat **

“No, that’s wrong! What I said before was erroneous, since there is no bruise on his neck.”

“What? Maybe that just cause he died before the bruise formed.”said Mondo.

“Not if he died due to a broken spinal cord. His hearth would have kept beating for a time at a reduced speed, thus letting blood accumulate to form a mark. If his throat was opened with a dumbbell like the blackened tried to make us think, then perhaps the blood would have almost immediately stopped to circulate, and we would have an explanation. But we already ruled out this hypothesis.”

“So we are no more advanced that before...how disappointing.”sighed Celeste.

“Well, what about trying to determinate the place of the murder? We already established it wasn’t in the girl’s changing room. So where could it be?” proposed Taka.

“Maybe the murder effectively occurred inside, but that the culprits cleaned the blood a little to confuse us.”proposed Sayaka.

“Doubtful.”said Byakuya.”They had barely more than an hour to accomplish their murder, at best. Not enough time to have an opportunity to go to the kitchen unaccounted for and retrieve cleaning supplies, without taking into account the possibility of them being caught red-handed cleaning the room.”

“W-when were they a-attacked in the first place?”asked Touko.

“I verified Leon’s clothes.”said Kyoko.”There is no odor of sweat, so they could not have been waiting for very long. Attacking during the training would require to deal with two persons at once, and considering that Leon was presumed to have been attacked by the two at the same time,it seem unlikely. Chihiro could even have asked for help from Asahina and Sakura at the pool, which he didn’t. There was no trace of blood, cleaning or strife in the boy’s changing room anyway.”

“W-was there any other p-place where the murder could have occurred?”asked Touko.

“I d-don’t want to walk into a room and t-to find b-blood.”

“The only other empty rooms on this floor were the classrooms and the toilets, which I checked. I Yasuhiro’s help to check the first floor rooms,Mondo to check the first floor other rooms, and examined myself the girl’s bedrooms.” recapitulated Kyoko.”I checked all I could. I didn’t find anything, except that all the tables in the classroom next to the pool were turned upside down.”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Small Pool of Blood/No Bruise On The Neck/ State of the** **B** **ody**

Taka was pensive.“This seem like an ideal place to kill someone.”said Ishimaru.”Not as suspicious than the toilet to attract someone in, but close enough to **quickly move a body to the pool**. Are you positive there _**wasn’t any**_ _**trace of blood or fighting**_?”

“If I had, I would have told you.”

“Could the table have been turned **to hide evidences of a fight**?”asked Hiro.

“If it was, the tables wouldn’t have been turned upside-down. They would be correctly placed.” said Celeste.

“Are we sure that there is nothing here which could have been used to _**hide traces of blood**_? No _**trace of cleaning**_?” asked Ishimaru.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Confirmation_ _:_ ** **Upward Down Tables > _hide traces of blood_**

“What if the tables were turned...to hide blood? As long as the space was cleared first, they could have used an accomplice to block Leon on what previously was a table emplacement, or just push him under a table. He would then have bled out when the blackeneds killed him.”

“Wouldn’t the amount of blood be too large to cover with only one table?” asked Sayaka.

“Perhaps the perpetrator used something like a clothe or a belt dissimulated on  them to stop the flow of blood. It would allow the pool to remain small enough to be hidden.” said Kyoko,hand on her chin.”They would need something like that anyway to  move the body without letting blood in the hallways.”

“ And what about Chihiro’s place of death?”asked Mondo.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Small Pool of Blood/** **Blood in Mouth** **/ State of the** **B** **ody/Chihiro’s Wet Eyes**

“He probably was  _ **killed in the same room as Leon** _ _ , _ bro! Once the body was moved and the blood hidden, he could just invite Chihiro here ,and  **repeat the trick** ! We didn’t  **find blood anywhere outside the fake crime scene** .”

“It’s not like we could know **where Chihiro’s went** **without a body or blood**...” said Asahina.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Confirmation_ _:_** **Chihiro’s Wet Eyes > ** **_where Chihiro’s went_** **_without a body or blood_**

“Yes,we can!”

“What?”asked Asahina.

“We can know where Chihiro’s went thank to his eyes.” I answered.

“How?” questioned Sakura.” I hope you are not jesting, Makoto.”

“O-of course not!It’s just that Chihiro’s has bad tasting water in his eyes.”

“How do you know there are not just tears? And how they taste?” asked Hina.

“You don’t want to know.” I answered,looking at Kyoko.

“Uh...I’m a little bit confused...what does that mean,exactly?” asked Hiro.

In which type of room can one find dirty water?

_You can seek the map of the second floor on internet if you wish._

**Find the answer**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**Answer :Toilets**

“The only place containing dirty water I can think of are the toilets.”I said.

“But...how would Miss Fujisaki eyes get toilets water in her eyes?” asked Hifumi.

“What if…Chihiro’s head was pushed in the toilets to make him drown?”I suggested.

“That’s...that’s too cruel! He finally arrived in a place where he wouldn’t be bullied ,and then, he...he was drowned in toilets? That’s horrible!” protested Asahina.

“The murderer would not have to use its weapon, and so would not have to hide marks..but then why is the body missing?”

“Each floor has toilets: one near the pool and one in the dorm...Perhaps the blackened wished to keep us in the dark about which ones?”hypothesized Ishimaru, focusing hard, his fist under his chin.

“We should try to determinate where the body is.” said Sakura.

“Before this, we should examine the alibi of each group. It will make the aforementioned task more easily accomplished .” said Kyoko.

“We’re all suspects par default despite being in duo? Could any group really have done it ?”asked Ashina.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Bloodied Dumbbell** _ **/** _ **Body Discovery Announcements** _ **/** _ **Pool ID System/Double Murder Rule**

” _ **A man’**_ _ **s group**_ _ **could**_ _ **hardly**_ _ **have done it.**_ ”said Kyotaka.”After all,Makoto and Hiro **couldn’t possibly have left without us noticing** , and **the reverse is true**! All the others groups contain a least on girl.”

“Well, you seemed pretty engaged in your discussion when we arrived. Would you really be able to spot them?”doubted Hifumi, hand in the hair, looking like he feared retribution for his accusation.

“And it’s true that we went into the dining hall to speak together, so it’s not like I could have spotted them...” I admitted.

“Hey, look, we didn’t know we were supposed to guard the guards. We were just supposed to notice if _ **a door opened**_ , that’s all!” said Mondo.

“Look,I swear we didn’t do it!” panicked Hiro.”Look at **how innocent and fluffy Makoto look** **s** ,he could never hurt anyone! Right Makoto?”

“I can’t disagree with Hiro.” chuckled Sayaka.

“You seem rather calm about the situation your boyfriend is in.” said Byakuya.

“It’s because I know he didn’t do it. I know we will find the true killer, especially with his help.

And what make you think we are together?”

“Because Makoto didn’t deny it last time.” he smirked.

I lost my composure.“I...I didn’t? I mean...”

“And you’re not denying it now either?” asked Asahina.

“B-back to the subject!” I deflected.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Confirmation :_ _Pool ID System_ > _A man’_ _s group_ _could_ _hardly_ _have done it._**

“A man’s group couldn’t have opened the girl’s changing room. They would need an e-handbook for that.” I said.

Hiro sighed of relief.“Oh,that’s good. Anyway,high five,bro!I can’t believe I will have Sayaka in my extended family. And by “bro”,I mean future brother in law, of course!”

“Don’t bring that up!”

“Makoto...what is he talking about?”asked Sayaka, surprise and doubt on her face.

“See what you have done? Don’t worry about it, Sayaka. We should rather go back to collecting alibis. Why were you upstairs for fifteen minutes, Celeste and Hifumi?”

“We first intended to go to the library, but Byakuya and Toko were already here, so I elected to go read somewhere else. Five peoples are too much, wouldn’t you agree? We took some books and read them together in the classroom at the end of the corridor, hoping to find some calm.”

“I can confirm it. At the very least, the “knocking and taking books” part.”said Kyoko.

“But I quickly got tired of Hifumi complaining about the author choice, so when he become too difficult to ignore I went back to my room, and him to his.”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen** _ **/** _ **State of the** **B** **ody** _ **/** _ **Pool ID System/Celestia in Toilets**

“Do you have any proof that you do not have used this time to **kill Chihiro and Leon**?”asked Sakura.”After all, I seen you **leave the dorm for the dining hall** last evening.”

“I can confirm it...” I said.

Can we be sure that you didn’t **attract Leon somewhere** to kill him then **put his body in the girl’s changing room**?”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Rebuttal_ _:_** **Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen** **> put his body in the girl’s changing room**

“No, they couldn’t have done that...because Celeste tablet was in the kitchen,  was it not ?”

“You are  right, Makoto. I le f t the e-handbook in the kitchen this morning.” she confirmed.

“C-couldn’t she have grabbed the t-tablet while she was here ?” asked Touko.

“No, because it was still here after the murder. And me and Hiro didn’t see anyone come, so she couldn’t have put it back either..” I answered.

“It make more sense, anyway. Since Chihiro already said he was a boy by the time Celestia and Hifumi went into the kitchen, it wouldn’t have make sense for them to make their plan rely on Chihiro’s bein’ mistaken for a girl. The tool kit was probably took before,and if Celeste was goin’ to take her handbook she may as well have took the toolkit during it.” said Mondo.

“Now that we finished suspecting me,what about Sakura and Asahina?”proposed Celestia.

”They said they were swimming during all this time.

But it is awfully suspicious for the bodies to be in the  adjacent changing room. They were the only pair in the  second floor, they could open the changing room without troubles, Sakura could dominate Leon easily, and Asahina could without a doubt attract Leon wherever she wanted.  Sakura even already proved she could be controlled by the mastermind. ” 

“What? How would I attract Leon?” angrily asked Asahina, recoiling for a second before throwing her body forward to put her arms on the bar, conspicuously making her breasts move.

“... I admit it is suspicious…but please reserve your judgment. As a hina wouldn’t resort to murder, and, although I understand if you don’t trust in me, I said I was no longer going to either.”

I think I remember an evidence linked to this scenario...does it exonerate them, or prove them wrong?

_ **Select a truth bullet:** _ ** State of the body/Bloodied Dumbbell/Small Pool of Blood/Chihiro’s Wet Eyes/ No Bruise On The Neck/  ** ** Blood in Mouth/ Body Discovery Announcements/ Double Murder Rule/ Pool ID System/  Locked Chihiro’s Room/ Missing Blanket Cover/ Missing Building Kit/ Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen/ Upside Down Tables/ Celestia in Toilets **

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_ **Evidence** _ _ : _ **Body Discovery Announcements**

“Here’s the evidence they did not!”

“Now I am curious. Is there really such a thing?” asked Celeste.

“Yes. Do you remember that the announcement was launched before we all found the body?”

“...Ah, so this is evidence that someone else had seen Leon’s body before, since three persons are required to trigger the discovery. But that just mean that the blackened accomplice was here during the murder, yes?”

“But that also mean that nor Sakura nor Asahina were the murderers, since they wouldn’t be counted if this was the case, like in the last case. So it had to be somebody else. And since I was the third to discover Chihiro’s death, it mean that I’m not Chihiro’s murderer, either. I mean...that depend if Asahina too spotted it.”

“Yeah,I did...” she confirmed.

“An astute observation...you just improved to C-rank in my opinion, Makoto. And since I am magnanimous, I will not retrograde you for making me look like a fool. No, there is no need to thank me.”

“Right...”

“So everybody have an alibi? Are we back to square one?” asked Sayaka, hand in front of her mouth.

“It sure seem like it...” I said, a little dejectedly.

“Wait a second...I just remembered something!” said Asahina with alarm.”What if a girl’s e-handbook was left in a room?”

“Why is that so important? Ain’t everybody doing that?” asked Mondo.

“Not me.” answered Sayaka.

“And not me, either.” answered Kyoko,arms crossed.”I kept my e-handbook on me.”

“Likewise.” agreed the blue haired girl.

“I gave mine to master...” said Touko.

That’s really dangerous!

“And I kept it on me.”he answered.

“What you are getting at is that Mondo and Ishimaru could have opened your door and used your tablet to open the changing room. I did not know you were so skilled at accusing others.” chuckled Celeste.

“I’m not saying that! I’m just saying that...maybe there was a girl e-handbook in one of the rooms. That’s all!” she defended herself.

“Transparent lie.”observed Byakuya.”So did you let your e-handbook in your room?”

“No, I just wanted to check...I thought I had a good idea, but apparently it isn’t ...”

“You didn’t, but someone else did.” said Sayaka.

If everyone is telling the truth, there is only one person that could have let a girl e-handbook in the dorm…

**Select someone:**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“ **Junko”**

“Junko...this is only one whose e-handbook is unaccounted for.” I said.

“I checked her room last evening ,and the e-handbook was still here.” said Kyoko.

”Do you have something say for your defense, Mondo and Kyotaka?”asked Sayaka.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Bloodied Dumbbell** _ **/** _ **Body Discovery Announcements** _ **/** _ **Pool ID System/Double Murder Rule**

“The hell you’re accusin’ us for? And Leon’ body’s upstairs, right? You think we _**just dragged it here**_?”

“You did not have to kill him on the first floor. You could have taken advantage of **the lack of surveillance** to go to the second floor, kill Leon here after making him come in the classroom.

Mondo is certainly strong enough to immobilize Leon.” said Celeste.

“It could also be _**an unrelated murder**_ ,if we assume the other murder disrupted the first group of killers. The accomplice would just have to not vote for the wrongly accused suspect to be safe. Doubtful,though.” said Kyoko.

Kyotaka was sweating.“Please stop those baseless accusations! My bro would never do this! And as the Ultimate Moral Compass, I would never do this either! Plus,we would have _**nowhere to hide the body**_ , anyway.”

“ **I checked all the boy’s rooms** and there was no body.” said Hiro.

“And **I checked the girl’s ones**.” said Kyoko.

Mondo was also showing signs of nervousness and anger.“Yeah! **No evidence of fight into the dorm’s bathroom** , either. Let us the fuck outta this!”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Rebuttal:_ Chihiro’s locked room> I checked all the boy’s rooms**

“Wait!Hiro,how can you be certain of that?I tried to verify Chihiro’s room and it was locked! How can you know Chihiro’s body isn’t in there?”

Everyone looked suspiciously at Hiro and Mondo.

“I hope you’re not trying to conceal evidence.” said Byakuya.

“O-of course not!”said Taka.”I’m sure there is a good explanation! Right,Hiro?”

“Well...the door was locked. I checked Makoto’s room and they were not here,and even Makoto didn’t found it, so the blackened couldn’t have hid a body inside,right? It’s probably Chihiro who did this. He probably had his keys on him.” answered Hiro

“But why would he suddenly lock his room? He never did in the past when he had a reason to, and he has nothing to hide now, it is?” questioned Celeste.

“Especially when this seem to be the only place where the body could be.”added Sakura.

“Well, to be fair, this is not the only place possible.” said the gambler.

“Really? I can’t think to any other place, though...” said Asahina.

“We can’t dismiss the possibility that either Hiro or Kyoko lied about the absence of bodies. They were the only ones to do so, after all. Though I believe we can all agree that Kyoko’s alibi is fairly strong, so we can discard this possibility.” resumed Celeste.

“It seem like you are in a rather precarious position,Mr. Owada and Ishimaru. Will you finally confess to your crimes?” asked Hifumi.

“I left my room at 8H55,thirty-five minutes before the death announcement, and **they were still here**.”said Sayaka.

“It still let them thirty-five minutes...Largely enough time for a terrible misdeed!” retorted Hifumi.

“So the murder probably **occurred after 9H00**!”

“Or **after 8H30**.” said Hiro.

“But wouldn’t it be mega risky for them to leave their post?What if someone came out of their rooms ?”asked Asahina.

“If o-one of them stayed here...They _**could just have k-killed that person**_.”intervened Toko.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**_Rebuttal:_ Bloodied Dumbbell> occurred after 9H00**

“This isn’t right. The murder couldn’t have occurred after 9H.Because Kyoko told us the blood was there for thirty minutes at least.”

“It wasn’t entirely dry,”she confirmed,”but it was dry enough for me to be certain of it.”

“Hum...how do you possess such forensic knowledge?” asked Hifumi.

“This is rather strange, coming from a supposed amnesiac.” agreed Byakuya.

“Do not worry! I assure you that there is a good reason for that, though I cannot tell you why.”

reassured them Kyotaka.

“Regardless, that still leave twenty-five minutes free, between 8H30 and 8h55.”observed Byakuya.

“Wait! There are two other peoples who can confirm that we were here at 8H45 too!” said Taka.  
Oh, that’s true...they already told this during the trial...

**Select two people:**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**Celestia and Hifumi**

“You’re speaking about Celestia and Hifumi,right,Kyotaka?”

“Yes!Celestia said she came back with him to the dorm because she no longer wanted to read in the same room than him.” he confirmed.

“And since she also took some times to find books, she can also confirm they weren’t in the hallways at 8H35.” continued Mondo,thumbs up.”Genius, bro!”

“They would need some time to return all the tables, attract Leon, move his body, and get Chihiro downstairs. Even if they could kill anyone leaving the dorm, not only would it be really suspicious, it would still make the murder of Leon more precarious since the blackened would be alone,it would attract attention I anyone met him. Leon was also rather strong, so assaulting him alone to immobilize him would be far more difficult than with two persons.”said Kyoko.”I think we can stop suspecting them, at least for now.”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen** _ **/** _ **Locked Chihiro’s Room** _ **/** _ **Pool ID System/ Missing Building Kit**

“But we are again short on leads.” said Celestia. “What about examining Yas-...Hiro and Makoto’s alibi once more? Could they _**really not have acceded to the girl’s changing room?**_ ”

“We already told you!” protested Hiro.” **We didn’t have access to a girl’s e-handbook**!”

“Maybe they _ **stolen one to a girl**_ and gave it back without them knowing?” proposed Hifumi.

“O-or they infiltrated the c-changing room when Sakura and the idiot swimmer girl o-opened it, then opened it from the other side...” said Touko.

“ _ **Idiotic suggestion**_.”reacted Byakuya.”

“Eeek!” whined Touko.

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**Rebuttal: Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen> We didn’t have access to a girl’s e-handbook**

“Actually,Hiro...you’re wrong. We did have access to a e-handbook. Celestia’s one.”

“Ghh!I forgot about that!”He sweated.”We didn’t use it! Honest!” he said, making a prayer-like motion.

“I have difficulty believing Makoto could do something so horrid. So please, prove this accusation wrong,Makoto.” said Sakura,her expression grim and serious.

“And I have difficulty believing Hiro would be capable or smart enough to do it.” said Byakuya.

“Thank you for defending us!”said Yashuiro,looking relieved.

I didn’t even try to explain the situation to him.

“I know you didn’t do it, Makoto. Are you sure you can’t find anything to prove your innocence?”

asked Sayaka.

I nervously tried to focus and find a solution.

But I didn’t see any.

“It l-looks like we f-found the killers...Makoto surely t-told the braindead hippie w-what to do.

I always knew his k-kindness was made of deceit!”

“No,there is one action needed to do after the murder that Makoto and Yasuhiro could not do.” said Kyoko.

What actions Makoto and Hiro could not do?

**Anagram** : todi hhb eyde

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“hide the body”

**Here’s the answer!**

Inspiration struck.

“We could not have hid Chihiro’s body!” I triumphantly said.

Celeste showed surprise(though it was hard to see if it was genuine or not, and voluntarily or not)

“Really? Surely you did not forgot that Yasuhiro was the one to check the boy’s rooms .What if a body was inside his or Makoto’s room, and he simply kept quiet about it?”

“We couldn’t have put a body in these rooms in the first place. And there are two of my comrades who can testify!”

**Select someone:**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**Mondo and Kyotaka**

“Mondo and Kyoataka were guarding the dorm. I could not have entered it,or Yasuhiro, with a body without them knowing. .”

“I can assert that you’re saying nothing but the uncontested truth, Makoto!”said Taka.

“And I am pleased to be able to say it!” he said smiling.

“I knew you could do it,Makoto.” said Sayaka, smiling too.

“Our discussion went that far, and we still are no closer from solving the problem than at the beginning. Damn it! I cannot let Chihro’s murder unpunished!”said Sakura.

“Then perhaps you should ask for my help.” said Byakuya, smirking.

“...Did you, per any chance ,discovered who the responsible was?” asked Sakura.

“Of course I did.”

“M-master is so smart! Bow b-before him! Now!”

“If this is true, why did you not intervened earlier?” asked Sayaka.

“Because I was curious. You should be thankful to me; you obviously needed some training .” he answered.

“Well we’re blocked now, so help us!” said Asahina.

“Did you remark something abnormal when you returned to the dorm for the investigation ?Something missing?”he said in a slightly condescending tone.

I know what he is talking about, but it can’t be linked to the murder...right?

_ **Select a truth bullet:** _ ** State of the body/Bloodied Dumbbell/Small Pool of Blood/Chihiro’s Wet Eyes/ No Bruise On The Neck/  ** ** Blood in Mouth/ Body Discovery Announcements/ Double Murder Rule/ Pool ID System/ Locked Chihiro’s Room/ Missing Blanket Cover/ Missing Building Kit/ Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen/ Upside Down Tables/ Celestia in Toilets **

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_ **Evidence** _ _ : _ **Missing Blanket Cover**

“Are you referring to my missing blanket cover?” I asked.

“Indeed, I am.” he smirked.

“Are thou toying with us?” asked Sakura, conditional displeasure in her voice.

I didn’t know you could put conditions in a tone until now.

“Not at all. Please, reflect about it. Don’t hesitate to bring up any related information.”

“Did you remark anything strange when you spoke to Chihiro in his room,Sakura?” asked Sayaka.

“Perhaps about his blankets?”

“Well, there was one thing which was a little strange, now that you ask me. His blanket was nowhere to be seen.”

“Did we lack blankets or what?” asked Hiro.

“No, I am almost certain that he would have told us if so. There is also no reason to think he would not have one in the first place.” answered the martial artist.

“So Chihiro hid his blanket. Now, let’s examine the second event; the blanket’s cover washing. During this, Chihiro had to show his blanket cover. How would he do to keep concealing it without looking suspicious by not bringing his own cover?”

**Anagram** : apelrti ec

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“replace it”

**Here’s the answer!**

“By replacing it? Wait, do you think he stole mine and kept his one?”

“He was the last one to arrive, was he not? Yet he was one of the first to leave his room, and usually made a point of coming early to eat. It align perfectly with his motive.”

“But why would he want to hide his blanket cover so much? Was there some...shameful substance on it?” asked Hifumi.

“Shut up. And I cannot believe you still do not understand. There could only be one reason for Chihiro to hide his blanket cover, and it is highly related to this case. What is it?”

**Anagram** : grdd hnh seieei

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

“hide his gender”

**Here’s the answer!**

“Chihiro’s was hiding his blanket cover...because it’s color didn’t correspond to his biological gender?” I asked, astonished.

“What? Stop kidding. He was a boy, he told us himself!” protested Mondo.

“Are you pretending he lied?” asked Asahina, looking angry.

“We’re in a killing game. We can’t trust an information verified by only one person. Even two is not sufficient in this case.” he retorted. “This is why I spotted the truth before all of you; I’m not naive.”

“But what would Chihiro gain by lying to us?I do not believe he would be the type to assassinate anyone, and his gender would be put into question as soon as a murder where lying about it could give an advantage would occur.”asked Sakura.

“Perhaps she...no, perhaps he was not lying. Perhaps he really considered himself a boy, even if his body said otherwise.” I said, realization in my voice.

“...Now that you say it, it correspond to what Chihiro told me. That he was too weak, too feminine, abnormal...not only did he fear our reaction, but himself wasn’t feeling like a boy, despite wanting to be one.” reflexively said Sakura.

“So that’s why he felt so unaccepted by others, and why it continued during all his education...It feel a far more realist reason than just him being weak.” said Sayaka.

“Hum...that’s interesting and all...but what’s the link with the case?” asked Yasuhiro.

“The link is that this new information destroy the alibi of a group.” Kyoko said.

“Who?” asked Hifumi.

“Tell them, Makoto.” she answered, looking at me.

**Select two peoples:**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**Celeste and Hifumi**

“I’m sorry,Hifumi…but it is your group that is concerned.”

“W-w-w-hhhhhhaT?”He jolted backward.

“For the simple reason that if Chihiro is biologically a girl, then his e-handbook can open the girl’s changing room. So if she stole his e-handbook, Celeste wouldn’t need hers to move Leon’s body inside it, which was her only alibi.” I said.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen** _ **/** _ **Locked Chihiro’s Room** _ **/** _ **Celestia in Toilets/ Missing Blanket Cover**

Celeste chuckled.“Fuhuhu.I killed one of them? Surely you jest. There are so many things that do not fit...First of all **,I wouldn’t partner with Hifumi** , even if my life was on the line.

And frankly, do you really think **someone as weak as him could immobilize Leon**?

I **do not even** **have a place to hide him**. And why would I? He **drowned** , there is nothing incriminating about that.”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Celestia in Toilets > ****do not even** **have a place to hide him**

“You had a place to hide the body. In the toilets, with you. After all, you stayed inside during the entire investigation.” I retorted.

“I didn’t mention it before because she had an alibi, and because I wanted to make sure to conduct this investigation in an orderly manner. I knew we would get to it eventually.” said Kyoko.

“Hifumi could easily immobilize Leon by using his weight.”added Sakura.”And you showed you were more than ready to use Hifumi when needed, for your tea for instance.”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Missing Building Kit** _ **/** _ **Locked Chihiro’s Room** _ **/** _ **No Bruise On The Neck/Missing Blanket Cover**

“Did you not hear me? **I had no reason to hide the body**. The cost outweigh the benefit. Your stupids accusation right now are the proof of that. We couldn’t possibly **be the ones who turned all the tables** upside down, or **moved the body**. This is simply too risky. **We didn’t even had** **access to** **a weapon** , for god sake! So stop pretending to be a detective and find the true culprit!”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Missing Building Kit** ** > ****We didn’t even had** **access to** **a weapon**

“This is incorrect! We believed a building kit went missing, right?”

“Are you braindead? We already determined that it wasn’t used and that the culprit took it before I had an opportunity to do so!” she seethed.

“But if Chihiro is a girl...then this is not a building kit which went missing, but a sewing one.

We counted seven kits like this, yet we now know eight girls were inside this school.”I answered.

“And now that we know that the trick was in making us believe Chihiro was a boy, stealing the sewing kit after his reveal would take all his sense. You went into the kitchen with Hifumi for donuts soon after the reveal. In fact, its stealing a sewing kit before this event that would be strange. The murderer wouldn’t have a reason to believe the theft would go unnoticed before this revelation and a hammer would be a far more efficient weapon if tricking us wasn’t the motive.” added Kyoko.

“If someone spotted you turning the tables, you could just pretend that they were already like that and that you were returning them.”added Hiro.

“Did you find that by yourself?” asked Sayaka.

“Well, I’m speaking from experience here.”he answered, smiling.

“Really? It looks like an interesting story.” she said, her lips going upward a little, though her voice gave away she was still perfectly aware regarding what was going to happen soon.

Anyway, I will have to get an explanation out of him, one day.

“Regarding Celeste motive to hide Chihiro’s body, it seem apparent something went wrong.

The fact that she did had to resort to such a desperate measure is proof enough.

Chihiro was more strong and determined that you thought, isn’t it? He didn’t let you drown him. So you had to use your needle.”

“And even then,” pursued Sakura.”he didn’t let you neatly hit his throat. He probably used his hands and arms to protect himself, letting marks that you couldn’t possibly hide simply by striking him with a dumbbell.”

“So he did not die drowned in toilets like bullied victim...He fought back and forced you to choose between giving away your weapon or improvising a way to hide the body…What happened is still horrible, but at least, I hope that wherever he is now ,he is proud of himself.” said Asahina, her downward gaze giving away that she was deep in thought.

“If Celestia attempted to drown him a day ago, I cannot be sure that he would have successfully fought back. The mind is almost as important as the body in a fight. I am very proud of him for successfully fighting his fears and self-hatred.” said Sakura, emotion in her voice.

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Chihiro’s Wet Eyes** _ **/** _ **Locked Chihiro’s Room** _ **/** _ **Pool ID System/Double Murder Rule**

“This is fucking speculation! Nothing else than a delusion of perspicacity conjured to mask your stupidity!” Celestia cried out.”Why would **Hifumi even help me with this**?!How _**would I even know that he wouldn’t give it away**_?!How would _**I even know Chihiro was a girl**_?!!How do you know it? Just because of some blanket cover? Let me laugh!

 **You don’t have any** **evidence** **that Chihiro is a girl**! There is **no proof a needle was used**!”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ **Locked Chihiro’s Room** ** > ****You don’t have any** **evidence** **that Chihiro is a girl**

“It just occurred to me...but if Chihiro is a girl, he had a pretty good reason to lock his door: to make sure we didn’t find his pink blanket cover, his stolen blue cover or his bathroom lock.” I remarked.

“While I can only guess how you would make sure that Hifumi cooperate with you, such an objection could be used to defend anyone. And you are nothing if a skilled liar; the same skill that you could have used to spot that Chihiro was lying, or at least hiding something. If we add to this the motive, I think we can obtain a decent explanation.”

“YOU DON’T HAVE ANY EVIDENCE THAT THE SEWING KIT WAS USED!” yelled Celestia in rage.

“If a needle was used on Leon, the flow of blood would have easily been stopped in order to hide the blood under a table and to move the body. That mean external bleeding was not the cause of death. I showed you something which explain and prove how he died, Makoto.”

What is she talking about? It’s probably...

_ **Select a truth bullet:** _ ** State of the body/Bloodied Dumbbell/Small Pool of Blood/Chihiro’s Wet Eyes/ No Bruise On The Neck/  ** ** Blood in Mouth/ Body Discovery Announcements/ Double Murder Rule/ Pool ID System/ Locked Chihiro’s Room/ Missing Blanket Cover/ Missing Building Kit/ Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen/ Upside Down Tables/ Celestia in Toilets **

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_ **Evidence** _ _ : _ **Blood in Mouth**

“If his neck was pierced, all the blood would go in his throat...That’s why he coughed up blood.

He drowned due to internal bleeding.”I concluded.”And that also explain why no bruises were found on Leon’s throat.”

“So the one who was thought to have drowned wasn’t and the one who was thought to not have did...How ironic!” said Hifumi.

..?

“You’re pretty calm for someone who participated in a murder...” remarked Hiro, hand in his hairs, sweat on his brow.

“Hum? I don’t see what you’re talking about. Nothing to do with me. That wasn’t even my plan. Nope. In fact,I don’t even remember what happened today!” he said.

Ha, yes, _this_ kind of “calm”. His face was moist, and I could only suppose the rest of his body was too.

Mondo cracked his knuckles.“Don’t fuck with us. What happened. Say it. Now.”

Hifumi shrieked. “Eeeeeek!”Then he regained his composure abnormally fast.

“I know nothing! Nothing at all.”

“Mondo is right! It is your moral obligation to at least say us what happened!”required Kyotaka.

But he stayed imperturbable despite his nervousness.”I know nothing!” he almost boasted.

“We won’t get anything from him.” sighed Sayaka.”We still have one problem left; has one of them killed the two victims, and if no, which one killed first?”

“Celestia killed at least one of them, that is certain. It would have been more easy for her to manipulate Hifumi by giving him an opportunity to escape, so we can conclude that they each took the life of one person.”

“Let’s examine Chihiro’s death first.”

“Uh...don’t tell them you did it first, Celeste!”whispered Hifumi.

“I don’t even know in which way he is trying to fool us. Such is his stupidity, even I am confused.” said Byakuya.”And are you aware that if Celestia killed in second and was voted for,she will still be executed as wrong culprit?”

“Huuuuuuu…” Hifumi sweat began to form droplet on his face while he tried to think.

“If you do not give us a chance to convince you that you were manipulated, we will vote for both of you. So at the very least, tell us what happened, and we will spare you.”emptily promised Byakuya.

Normally, even Hifumi wouldn’t fall for this, but the hope of not being killed nor killing anyone and finally escaping the conflicting atmosphere ,combined with the guilt and desire to confess, made him relent. The word escaped his mouth at full speed.

“MySisterWasThreatenedAndIDidn’tWantToBeAloneAndIToldItToCelesteAndSheToldMeSheWouldHelpMeAnd...”

“Please,calm down,Hifumi.” gently asked Sayaka.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU FAT PIG! Don’t you see they’re going to get you killed?!” erupted Celeste.

She tried to regain her composure.

“I’m sorry for my outburst, Hifumi,but they’re manipulating you, they have no intention or mean to save you! They’re bluffing, you can still get out of here alive and save your sister. Do you really want to have killed someone for nothing? Do his life, do her life matter so little to you, Hifumi?”

“N-no! Of course no!” he answered.

“Then stay quiet.” Turning toward us, she smiled.”It seem like the time to vote has come.”

“Please,Hifumi!We can’t loose three peoples like that!” I begged.

What if Sayaka was sacrificed? Or Sakura? I needed the first one to live, and the second in order to escape.

“There ought to be another way!” said Mondo.

Kyoko seemed to thought so.“We will statistically loose two innocent if we try to randomly guess the time of each murder. Voting for the two at once to improve the odds, but we wouldn’t know for sure who to vote for in the second trial.

But if we are to assume that Celeste successfully manipulated Hifumi...do you agree?”

“Absolutely.” said Byakuya.

“S-same as m-master.” said Touko.

“...Yes.”answered Sayaka.

“It is true that the opposite seem less likely...” admitted Taka.

“...then we know that she had to prepare a way to win in this situation. And there is one of the two trials of this case, that’s to say the first murder trial and the second murder trial, that cannot be won by the blackened since each of them killed one person.”

**Which one?**

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

**The second**

“The second trial can’t be won by the blackened, right? Since we would know the identity of the blackened of the first trial, only one suspect would be left, even if we made a draw and didn’t kill the second blackened...And if we add another element...”

_ **Select a truth bullet:** _ ** State of the body/Bloodied Dumbbell/Small Pool of Blood/Chihiro’s Wet Eyes/ No Bruise On The Neck/  ** ** Blood in Mouth/ Body Discovery Announcements/ Double Murder Rule/ Pool ID System/ Locked Chihiro’s Room/ Missing Blanket Cover/ Missing Building Kit/ Celeste Tablet in the Kitchen/ Upside Down Tables/ Celestia in Toilets **

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_ **Evidence** _ _ : _ **Double Murder Rule**

“If we add the rule that the first trial will be for the first one to kill, then Celeste had to be the first murderer.” I finished.

“But what if you are wrong?” said Hiro.

“We won’t be. Let’s vote for Celeste. If this pile of fat disguised as a person don’t understand he will die even if he doesn’t speak since he his the second killer, too bad for him. ” said Mondo.

I looked at Hifumi. Strangely, he seemed less nervous than before.

“Hifumi doesn’t seem to phased by what we just said...What if he doesn’t believe he is the second killer? What if Celestia tricked him on that too, or if he tricked Celestia,or if Celestia genuinely helped him?”I asked.

“Good theory, Makoto!Let’s ask him to describe what happened so we may find something in it which would force him to face the truth!” said Taka.

“I think it’s rather obvious he won’t do this...”said Sayaka.

“Let’s discuss the murders once more. Perhaps we will uncover an element that doesn’t fit with what Hifumi believe and force him to reconsider the intentions of Celestia.” asserted Kyoko.

“You said that their clothes weren’t sweaty, right?” said Asahina.”So whatever happened probably was before they enter the room.”

“I cannot say it with certainty. If they trained only for a short amount of time, or even if Chihiro trained while Leon hypothetically left the room before sweating, then I wouldn’t be able to tell.”

_ **Truth bullets:** _ **Celestia in Toilets** _ **/** _ **Locked Chihiro’s Room** _ **/** _ **Pool ID System/State of the** **B** **ody**

“Maybe Chihiro just **left alone** during the training to go to the toilets, and **got killed by Celestia here**? The evidences corroborate...” suggested Sayaka.

“But how would Celeste know he would do this? **His death was part of the plan** ,he had to be th secon killer, so it had to be predictable.” doubter Asahina.

“This is Hifumi that we are trying to convince, so we can’t presume she was trying to manipulate him, or he will not change his position.” answered Sayaka.

“How would Celestia get them to separate in the first place?” asked Taka.

“O-obviously that l-liar seduced the baseball p-playboy and l-lured him into the classroom **before the training**.“ said Touko. She perversely grinned.”But he was the one who ended up being pen-”

“Oh! I know!”cried out Hina.”Since she knew Chihiro was a girl ,she told him **she knew his secret!** That way, he would be forced to go talk with her to make sure she didn’t reveal it.”

~~**Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think Think** ~~

_**Rebuttal**_ _:_ _**Pool ID System**_ ** > ****left alone**

“I think that what you said is wrong, Sayaka,but it is also very possible that it was what Hifumi was thinking.”

“Why do you think it is wrong?” she asked.

“Because Chihiro couldn't have entered the changing room once he left. After all, it was the boy’s changing room, not the girl’s.”

“Couldn’t Leon just lend his own tablet to Chihiro?” asked Asahina.

“No. After all, there is a rule against that.” I said.

“M-miss Yasuhiro? I thought he stumbled upon you by accident?”

Hifumi was shaking, even sweatier than when he was uncovered.

“Did you really...did you use me?” he asked.

“Why is he talking to me?” asked Yasuhiro.

“He is probably talking about Celeste. I already knew she lied on her name. Apparently she revealed her real one to Hifumi to make him trust her more.”deducted Kyoko.

Celestia gritted her teeth and mumbled something in a vindictive tone.

Not only did she use you, but she almost certainly killed Chihiro-since what you said imply that she was his murderer-before you killed Leon.” she resumed.”What happened? Did you thought only one murder was planned?”

“She...she told me she just wanted to help me escape...That Chihiro had seen her while she was washing blood out of her clothes after she helped me kill Leon, and that she had to kill her...she was shaking, and had tears in her eyes. And when she talked about murder, she seemed so remorseful and fragile...Miss Yasuhiro, all this...was it really just an act?”

“I said...My name is.Celestia.LUDENBEERRRGGGGGGG!!!”

All trace of composure on the expert of the poker face disappeared.

When she finished screaming, she was out of breath, her rage replaced by exhaustion.

Kyoko sighed.“I suppose we will just have to check her e-handbook to know. Makoto, please end this.”

“Yes…Let’s end this.” the liar said, in an abnormally calm voice.

A slight smirk was present on her lips.

But even her could not hide the fact that it was an act.

To think that the Ultimate Gambler...would have to resort to such a pathetic bluff…

“Here’s what happened!”

“Last evening, Chihiro declared to all of us he was a boy.

But Celestia Ludenberg spotted that he was hiding something; Chihro’s body wasn’t a masculine one. With lies, revelation of her real name, and by using Hifumi fear for his sister, she manipulated him into believing she would help him murder someone; but in truth, the opposite would happen.

Using a desire for donuts as a pretext, they went into the kitchen to retrieve a sewing kit.

But since we now believed Chihiro was a boy, we wouldn’t remark the disappearance, thinking a tool kit was taken instead, and tricking us into thinking the theft occurred before Chihiro’s reveal.

The next morning, she put her tablet in the kitchen, to make peoples believe she could not enter the girl’s changing room. She first went in the library to get books for her alibi.

She then entered the boy’s training room, informing Chihiro of her knowledge of his true gender to attract him in the toilets, while Hifumi stayed with Leon in the classroom near the pool, since staying alone in the changing room was forbidden. Celestia told Hifumi she was just going to distract Chihiro,but in reality, she had other plans. She tried to drown the boy in toilets. Sadly for her, he fought back;and she ended up using her needle to kill him. But Chihiro’s struggle was not in vain; Celestia needle let unconcealables marks on his body, forcing her to imagine a way to hide the corpse.

She went back into the classroom, and discretely gave Hifumi her needle. He moved a table, and while Leon was distracted by Celeste, used his weight to immobilize Leon and pierce his throat.

They then covered his injury, limiting the size of the blood pool and letting him choke on his blood.

They moved him quickly in the nearby girls changing room, and struck his throat with a dumbbell to mask the true cause of death. They then went back to the toilets to wash the blood on them,and probably change clothes. Afterward, Celestia’s plan second part begun;she pretended that Chihiro had seen her washing the blood and that she was forced to kill her. Instead of burning their clothes in the incinerator, they just hid them in the bathroom stall. Celestia then took Chihiro’s eyes out of their orbits, and replaced Leon’s with them, letting the death announcement be triggered without showing the body.

They then returned the tables in the classroom to hide the blood.

Once finished, they went back in their rooms, fifteens minutes after leaving the dining hall at 8h30.

They pretended they were reading upstairs ,the went into their room.

At 9h30,Asahina and Sakura found the body, triggering Leon’s Body announcement that Hifumi had already seen. I triggered Chihiro’s soon after.Celestia then used the gruesome sight as a pretext to hide in the toilets where Chihiro’s body was left.

But it was all in vain. Because we uncovered your plan, Celestia Ludenberg,the Ultimate Gambler!”


	17. Chapter 17

Everyone was staring at Celestia. Defeat and regret were an unusual sight on her pale visage.

She sighed, looking toward the floor at her left, her gaze unfocused, like she was trying to watch the past; trying to imagine a scenario where she didn’t loose..

“You’re right. I lost. I admit it; everything happened like you said.

I lost...when was the last time I had to utter such bitters words?”

“So you finally admit it?” I asked.

“Ha, look at you...trying to force me to expose my failure for everyone to see...my last sentence was sufficient. Estimate yourself lucky that I admitted it once, it will not...never happen again.”

“Why did you do this? Was it just because of the motive?” angrily asked Asahina.

“I’m afraid her betrayal isn’t that surprising.” said Sayaka. “Since the beginning, I felt like she wasn’t a very selfless person, and that she was obsessed with playing the role of a noble, which included self-centrism.”

“And what about thou,Hifumi?I can understand why Celeste would kill due to her personality, but you? Makoto already explained why murdering someone wouldn’t help anyone, including your sister. I didn’t hear you using the fear of your secret being revealed as motive.”

“The secret was my motive actually, but not because it was going to be revealed. Rather, it was because of what was written on it.”

“And, what was it?” asked Hiro.

“That my sister was going to be killed if I didn’t try and murder someone. She’s the only person in my life that understand me, I couldn’t let that happen! And if I waited too much, everyone would know and be suspicious of me, that’s what Celeste told me.”

I noticed he dropped the Miss part, and didn’t call her Yasuhiro. He was probably to used to her old name,and too shaken.

“How did you become accomplice?” asked Kyoko.

“I didn’t knew what to do ,I was scared, and Celeste remarked it. She made me come into her room and asked me to tell her what was bothering me. I couldn’t hold it in anymore, so I told her everything, and she pretended to care and to want to help me when...when...”

“But why did you think Monokuma said the truth?”I asked.

“Well, Celeste said to me that I could accuse Monokuma of lying if he didn’t hold his promise. Monokuma even told me he would give me access to live video feed and the possibility to communicate a little with her if I didn’t reveal too much. And even if I failed, Monokuma told me he would free my sister as long as I did my best.”

“It is true that I pushed him in this direction. I told him that I was heartbroken by what may happen to his sister, and that I would help him kill someone so he may escape, that he would find a way to rescue the others from outside.” admitted Celeste.

“You could have made a “blunder” to reveal your culpability. It wouldn’t have looked odd given your...personality.” remarked Kyoko. “Though I suppose you not doing that was to be expected.”

“I...I’m sorry! And if I did that, it would have meant betraying Celeste, since she murdered someone too ! I-I wanted to talk to my sister,at least one more time!” he cried.

“If we add to this Celestia’s manipulation...I understand.” said Sayaka.

“This...this was all her fault! You...you lied to me! You used me! You pushed me to murder!”

“And you, Celeste?”

“You can call me...Taeko Yasuhiro. This is my real name.

And I had a dream. To become a true european noble. I would live in a magnificent castle in the French campaign. But...the reason behind this...was because I wanted to get rid of my past. I didn’t want to be Taeko Yasuhiro again. I never wanted to be forced into stagnation again,imprisoned by my past or by Monokuma. Maybe my dream is stupid and hard to reach. But I will never let anyone tell me that I can’t try to reach it. That’s why I can’t let Monokuma force me to stay imprisoned here; that’s why I couldn’t let you know my secret.”

“Your name ,I suppose?” said Kyoko.

“Not only. My birth in a poor family, my fear of blood, my unrefined tastes, the times I cheated at undergrounds casinos-it probably will cost me my life if I’m not careful-… and my old identity.

I do not care about anything but winning. That’s the mentality I had to develop to become Ultimate,and that’s not a mentality that I wish to give up.

Fighting for my fantasy...that’s the only way to live for me.”

“You are wrong. The only way to live is to not die. You will discover this soon enough.” cruelly retorted Byakuya.

“I don’t want to drag this on, now that I’ve lost. I am not scared. I am such a skilled liar, that I can deceive to my own hearth, lie to my own mind.” she said, smiling.

“You only ever succeeded in fooling your logic, not your emotions. You could redirect your rage into acting superior and thinking of yourself as such, thank to your transparent and fake persona, but you were never able to just recognize your feelings were unjustifiable and to let go of them.

This is why you never fooled anyone but yourself.” replied the heir.

“...”

Monokuma suddenly sprung to life.“What an intense conversation! What an elaborate psychological dissection! I’m sure everyone is impressed by seeing you slap the truth on Yasuhiro’s face with FACTS and LOGICS!

But it doesn’t matter anymore...Cuz it’s voting time! While we’re at it, we’re going to do the two votes successfully, so be prepared! I’d also say to the two blackened to be prepared, but...puhuhuhu!”

I was feeling bad for Hifumi. He was doing it for his sister, and was manipulated by Celeste. He really wasn’t at peace with what he did.

And regardless of how selfish and compassionless Celestia was,it was evident that it wasn’t something she really controlled. She got stuck in a delusion because of an obsessive mindset she acquired due to unlucky circumstances.

But I had no choice. I pressed on Celeste’s face, then on Hifumi’s.

I was pretty sure everyone did so, except Celeste and Hifumi, probably voting against each others.

But Sayaka seemed to have troubles.

“Are you okay ,Sayaka?”

“Do I really have a right to send them to their death when I did almost the exact same thing?”

She wasn’t smiling. Normally, that would just mean she wore a neutral mask, but this time I felt like the negativity transpired more than usual. It was still reminiscent of the expression she had after seeing her video.

“If I tried to kill someone for my family without thinking, would you blame me for voting for Celeste and Hifumi?”

“No?”

“If you were in their place, would you blame us for voting against you?”

“No, but...”

“Then you can do this. You’re doing this to protect everyone here, including me.Not just you.”

I caressed the palm of her hand.

“You don’t have to vote if you don’t want to.”

She took a small breath.

“No...no, I’m going to do it. Thank you for reassuring me.”

She resolutely did the same as me.

“Everyone finished? Don’t answer that,I already know, the results are right in front of me!”

The wheel began to spin, stopping on Celeste icon, then Hifumi’s one.

“And you were correct! The blackened of the two trials were respectfully Celestia Ludenberg,or rather Taeko Yasuhiro,and Hifumi Yamada!

And for these these two heartless killers,The Ultimate Doujin Creator,and the Ultimate Gambler!,I’ve prepared a very special punishment!”

“You mean...Execution? W-wait! Please!I was manipulated! I’m innocent!” freaked out Hifumi.

“No forgiveness! No excuses! Remember that during Celeste execution. Cause it will also be yours!”

“I beg youuuu!” he wailed, hands in front of him like he was praying.

“So let’s give it everything we’ve got!It’s...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!”

Monokuma moved his arm to take a hammer and press a red button with it.

The pixelised avatar of Celestia and Hifumi appeared on the screen on a red background.

A digital Monokuma appeared and dragged her by the collar while a numeric song played,accompanying the sound of his steps. When they disappeared out of the screen,he quickly came back for Hifumi.

A curtain covering a side of the courtroom went up, revealing a wall constituted of slightly spaced iron bars. Behind was a guillotine, and a table with paper and pencil on it, a screen in front of it. Celestia voluntarily entered it, with grace and composure. She smiled. At least her execution would be befitting of a queen. That’s what she told to herself.

Hifumi was much more reluctant. He involuntarily stepped back before his collar gave him a powerful electric chock. Then a second, even stronger. Then another, making him spasm for several second. Panicked, he ran toward the wooden table and brusquely pulled out the chair.

He looked at the screen. On it was a manga with Hifumi as character, depicting him on the very same location, on a chair, sweating, with Celeste standing on the stairs of the guillotine.

After one more small shock, he took the iron pencil and began to draw.

Strangely enough, there was a wire going out of the pencil. It’s function began very apparent when at the half of the drawing, Hifumi let the pencil go with a small cry. Steam was coming out out of the pencil. An intense electric shock forced him to take the pencil back, wincing. The pencil was hot, but the pain was manageable. The drawing on the screen changed, skipping to the next page.

During this,Celestia put her head in the guillotine emplacement, smiling. She was like a renowned figure of history.Like Marie-Antoinette. Yes,she could thing of nothing else. She closed her eyes for a short moment.

The rope stopped keeping the sharp iron in the air, and it rushed down, accelerating.

She gritted her teeth, resolved to not open her eyes or scream.

The blade entered her neck.

She screamed.

Hifumi screamed. The pencil was now burning. There were red marks on his hands.

He let it fall on the visibly fireproof paper, whimpering and spitting on his burned hand.

He wasn’t late on the schedule anymore and the temperature of the collar was low, but it was now was quickly warming up.

Suddenly, the temperature of the collar exploded, making him howl in pain. Apparently, its purpose was not only sending shocks, but also heating when his drawing fell behind the on on the screen.

In a desperate effort to make it stop, Hifumi used his left hand and, after a half second of hesitation, firmly took the pencil with it. His eyes were tightly closed and his teeth firmly pressing against each others, the first ones letting tear flow out of it and the seconds only muffling the repressed cry of pain. The pencil was so hot it was red and an audible hissing sound was heard during the contact, mixing itself with Hifumi’s own hissing. Now that he was late on drawing his current situation,his heating collar the proof of that, the screen displayed Celeste’s one...

The blade stopped. After cutting one centimeter deep into her neck. The blade wasn’t sharp enough at all. Blood flowed, but nothing that would kill her quickly enough, or be a match for a real decapitation. The blade went up again. Then let gravity do it’s job once more.

This time, Celestia did prepare herself to stop her scream. The blade went another centimeter further, but she didn’t open her mouth.

The next time, she didn’t succeed in keeping her mouth shut despite her best efforts. The steel continued gaining ground.

One hit later, when her trachea was penetrated, she didn’t even try.

And when the dull blade diminished by third her respiration capacity, already suffering from the blood in her lungs, she didn’t even care.

Hifumi was drawing in a frenzy, his pain redirected to push him to use his incredible talent at an unreal speed. The Hifumi of ink expression mimicked the real one. His muffled scream was becoming more and more audible as his quickly blackening hand was blistering, the pencil white-hot. Fat tears poured on his round cheeks.

His rhythm diminished as he tried to rapidly alternate with each one of his hand, cries of pain punctuating each exchange. Each second made his collar hotter and hotter, it’s heat always closer form the pencil’s one. Finally, he couldn’t resist any longer; he let go of the pencil, revealing his black charred hands, shreds of skin and blister falling from it, and but one second later put them on his collar despite his hands catching fire, the burning pain on his neck the only reason he was able to do this despite the death rattle of his calcined nerves, his collar even whiter than the sheets of paper on the table. Finally, he let out his final breath, his body falling, his consumed neck no longer holding his head on his shoulders.

The guillotine was in overdrive, the blade mounting almost as fast as it was descending, the motor powering it loudly screeching. The new rhythm favored rapidity over strength, the blade not even going hallway before biting Celestia’s flesh, and retreating as soon as it stopped. Her spine was broken. Her screams were replaced by gurgling blood, the bloody mouth in her neck letting out hair and vital fluid but no sounds. But her expression was largely sufficient to show her suffering. The red liquid was repeatedly propelled in the air with each hit, now becoming more powerful and slow each second. A stream of salty water was coming out from hers alternatively rolling and closing eyes; her head barely attached to her body anymore. Finally, the iron part came back to the very top of the deadly instrument, and hung out for a second. Two. Three.

A noise of metal cutting the air. Then everything ended.

The heads of the two Ultimates rolled simultaneously, as their owner’s life came to an end.

The courtroom was deadly silent. We were all shocked by what unfolded under our eyes.

I knew they were going to die...but never would I have thought it would be that brutal.

Such violence went beyond my imagination.

Sayaka was pale as a sheet, or an iron collar. Her eyes were impossibly distant.

Ishimaru was on the verge of bursting in tears, his watergates opens and his nose dripping.

Mondo’s hands were shaking with anger and repressed fear, big droplets of sweat on his face.

Sakura fist were closed, a look of absolute hatred on the usually collected fighter. The only reason she wasn’t lengthily swearing vengeance was because no word would transmit her killing intent as well as her expression. She still let out a low-spoken promise out of her lips:

“You will pay...”

Hiro expression was frozen in disbelief, a unbelieving smile fighting for its survival on his lips,before he took off running.

Touko was holding her head firmly, gripping her hairs and her back curved.

“W-what is t-thiiiiiiiis?!”

Asahina hands left their place on her mouth and covered her eyes when they; a stream of tears running down her face and arms.

“Why?Why do you do such horrible things?” she sobbed .

The usual haughtiness of Byakuya Togami was gone.

Even the absolutely stoic Kyoko wasn’t left untouched by the scene. Ever so slowly, a minuscule bead of sweat traveled on her brow, as she failed to detach her gaze from the gruesome sight despite her awareness that she had no reason to not just left the courtroom.

And me in all that?

I felt nothing.

What occurred was so extreme, that it simply didn’t register. It felt abstract, somewhat.

A little like in a film seeing hundreds of men die in a minute, in a deluge of violence, made one insensitive to the loss of life, the sheer volume of pain and horror displayed simply wasn’t something I could project myself in; I was feeling empathy and horror, yes, but it was numbed. Some part of me just gave up and accepted it.


	18. Chapter 18

“Extreeeeme!Maan,what a blast! The adrenaline is pumping right trough my robotic body!”

Monokuma proclaimed.

“WHY?!” cried out Asahina.

“Hum? What a strange question. Because, that’s why!”

“That’s not an answer!”

“It is! Why aren’t you happy of what’s happening?”

“Because it’s awful!”

“But why do you not like awful things? Or why do you think death is awful? That come a little out of nowhere,don’t you think?”

“What? This is the definition of awful! And why would I need a reason to think that what, what you’ve done is awful?” continued the crying girl.

“My point exactly! Why would I need a reason anymore than you do? Hahahaha!”

And the mic went off.

“...There is no reason to stay here. Let’s move.”

And she walked toward the elevator.

Slowly going out of my stupor, I moved too. Looking toward Sayaka’s stressed expression,h er hands on her shoulder and arms pressing against her body.

I put my palm in the back of hand. She intertwined our fingers and walked to get back to my level.

Sakura chose to put her hand on Asahina’s shoulder, her arm pressed against her back pushing her forward. Mondo and Taka had far less physical contact and didn’t talk, but their silent emotional support was impossible to miss.

Touko tried to pair with Byakuya but he was absolutely not in the mood to support her and rather rebuked her a little more dryly and defensively than before, trying to regain his emotional stability and composure.

The journey back was as silent and nerve-rattling than when we descended, but all the energy and anticipation was gone. Everyone wanted to be alone, or in some case alone with someone.

When we stepped out of the iron cage, Touko reluctantly paired with Hiro and Byakuya with Kyoko.

We walekd back to the dorm, and I reached my room.

Sayaka stopped holding my hand, but when I opened my door, she stopped, and her eyes were silently asking me to come with her. I wasn’t really expecting that, but I automatically agreed. She would have to ask me to do something a lot less agreeable for me to refuse.

I sat on my bed, and I felt her weight deform the mattress when she sat.

We spent several seconds reflecting and putting order in our thought.

“That could have been me...” she said to herself.

I put my legs on the bed and myself on my knees.

“Hifumi was probably less responsible for his murder attempts than I was for mine...he actually saved his family member, and he was manipulated.

Even Celestia,if she was very selfish, was also immature. She acted like she was perfectly rational and in control of herself, but considering she pretended to be rich when she was poor, and seeing how she acted, it was probably just the opposite.”

I didn’t knew what to say.

She continued.“I, I don't think I fully realized how close I came to being executed myself before I saw them being executed.”

That wasn’t something I was really comfortable thinking about too.

“Makoto,are you okay?”

I realized I was shaking a little.

She looked worriedly at me.

I tried to answer but I felt like my voice would broke, so I didn’t.

She hugged me.

“I’m sorry for not noticing sooner. You’ve done so much for me, and I’m letting you do all the job.”

My eyes were misty. I abandoned myself in the hug.

“I should have know that it would affect a lot someone as kind as you.”

The emotional shock was dissipating and some tears left my eyes.

She stroked my hairs, sometimes caressing my back. Perhaps some tears were dripping on her face too, but I couldn’t see it from my position ,with my head on her shoulder. I was pressing my arms against her too.

She didn’t told me things like “everything will be alright” or “I got you”,but I was grateful for it.

I didn’t need comfort, reassurance or pity. I just wanted to let it out,and I couldn’t do that properly if I felt like this was making me seem weak. Instead,she just whispered “thank you for saving me”;”thank you for being here for me”;and finally “i love you”.

I sobbed one time ,contrasting with my otherwise relatively silent crying,snorting and hiccuping.

I took a deep breath and let my body entirely relax.

I stayed like this for one or two minutes, Sayaka’s cheek against mine and her hand rubbing along my spine.

“Thank you.” I said,after a last expiration,regaining a normal breathing cycle.

“It’s really nothing,Makoto.” she said,her cheeks flushed.

“If you say so...”

“You know I’d hug you for free,right?”

I chuckled.“What else? I wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity.”

“Well...what about you tried closing your eyes?” she suggested.

I obeyed. I heard something cloth-like moving.

Wait a second, why was I hearing shirt sound?

I opened them for a millisecond before concluding that regardless of if I was correct or no, it wasn’t a good idea.

“I saw yoouuu,Makoto.”

Gasp.

“They were barely open!I just acted without thinking!”

She giggled.”Well,to be fair,if you didn’t opened them instinctively I would have been disappointed , and if you opened them entirely I would have been disappointed in you.

But since you behaved so well...”

I felt her breath on my face.

Then she pressed her lips against mine. Her lips weren’t open or being opened by my tongue like last time, making it less...intense than the last hormone driven kiss. But now that it was not something which happened in the heat of the moment or initiated by me, it had a lot more sentimental value, making me feel more her love instead of her softness or passion. And the fact that she was now pressing herself against me...oh. I guess she didn’t just pretend removing her shirt.

“...here’s for the demonstration.” she said ,smiling, one of her hand keeping her shirt in front of her generous bosom, which didn’t stop me from feeling a little hotter.

A fact I was really happy with, even if I was still felling a little sheepish about it, sensations from the last time coming back to the surface, memory of our two tongues pressing against each other.

Though if I was honest, if I could go back in time, choosing to open my eyes would have been an appealing prospective compared to a chaste kiss, even if my respectful and meek personality discouraged me from thinking too much about the question.

“Didn’t you remember? This is the free stuff I talked about. So you can do it any time you want~”

Oh. That was...a very worthy gift-information. So...I could kiss her on the lips anytime. At my own initiative. I quickly changed color and slowly put my fingers in front of my eyes in abashment when I imagined myself taking the initiative and kissing her, which wasn’t something that ever traversed my mind; and even more so when I tried to project myself doing it in otherwise normal moments, like talking ,reading, cooking; socially innocent situations which I would normally never disgrace with even hypothetical romantic action. And one thing leading to another… My skin took another step toward mimicking a tomato.

She laughed at my (probably more potent that she thought it would be) reaction, then turned back, allowing me to see the back of her bra while she put her arm in her shirt.

I suddenly realized something.

“Wait, you can even guess what I’m thinking during moment like that?!”

I was suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Her smile didn’t falter at all, and her gaze suddenly felt somewhat more predatory than usual, even if I couldn’t exactly explain why.

“Do you want me to specify what exactly you where thinking?” she asked me in a tone which was an impossible mix of sultry and innocent.

The good point was, I could now easily conceal as a red fruit-vegetable.

She had almost finished putting her shirt back on.

I tried to find a way to get out of this situation and another thing suddenly came back into my head, opportunely giving me the opportunity to counter-attack.

“One second, was removing your shirt and pressing you against one of the thing I can do anytime too?”

“Hu?”

She visibly didn’t took the time to think about this.

Desperately trying to do a diversion, I decided to act head-down.

“Just say no if it wasn’t what you meant.”I said, focusing very intensely on the present moment to not think about what was coming after, my voice feeling shaky.

She looked emptily in the air for a small moment, then flushed and opened her mouth to give her answer. An answer that won’t be known, for I immediately used my newly acquired privilege to kiss her. If I’m going to blush and feel embarrassed, then it won’t be alone.

I put my hands on her back and her head to force her to pursue the kiss.

Her eyes were full of surprise and she automatically jolted a little, but my grasp didn’t let her escape my lips. I almost let the softness of her lips, the smell of her perfume and the sensation of her hair distract me from my objective. Though the emotions that said objective was making course trough me were even more distracting. But after half a minute of playing with her lips, alternating symmetric kiss and sandwiching, stroking her hairs and her back, I let go a little. Predictably, she gasped for air.

I was feeling breathless too, but I was prepared.

I said in a voice as cheeky I could while being both totally flustered and unable/unwilling to think:

“So it’s a yes.”

Adrenaline(as well as another hormone) coursing trough my veins and making my hearth beat, the unreality of what I planned making me feel like I was in a dream or a nightmare; I lifted her shirt. Each tenth of second revealing more of her skin. Until the only thing left to cover her chest was her pink bra. While doing this, I didn’t stop kissing her again. The vision of her lingerie and the skin around and the form under it did little to calm me. I then pressed it against my own chest, now free to press the entirety of our bodies together.

I felt once more her chest against me, the heat of her body on mine, and I even flicked my tongue between her lips, registering that I couldn’t just force them open or lick without her authorization without breaking the ‘contract’.

She slowly opened them a little after a sort instant, but I had the impression that it was more an instinctive reaction than her coming back to her senses. I frantically began to rediscover her mouth, her saliva and mine intertwining inside her mouth and on my tongue, before rapidly switching to sucking on her own tongue to overwhelm her.

And it seemed to work rather well, judging by her expression, her eyes rolling back and a whiny , loud moan escaping her. A good thing the dorm was soundproof.

My adrenaline withdrawn as I decided I pushed my luck enough and that I definitely made a powerful distraction while embarrassing her back.

I moved my head back, breathing raggedly, already doubting the merit of what I had done and if I didn’t go a little too far, gathering my courage to open my eyes and look at her face, hoping if I would find happiness and fearing I would find ire; above all trying to dismiss the idea that I would see fear and tears. Even the simple thought…

I took a small breath and lifted my eyelids. And closed them right back.

Because Sayaka Maizono was passionately kissing me back. Her tongue bypassed my ready to apologize lips and took control of my mouth. Her saliva entered inside and she stroked my palate with her tongue, stopping all conscious thoughts I may be having. Her hands were now the ones pressing my face against hers, she was the one who was pressing herself against me, her arm on my back. The heavenly sensation on my scalp when she petted my hair as well as her bodily heat relaxed me despite the impromptu yet welcome assault. She then put her left hand under my T-shirt and was now stroking and pushing her palm against my chest.

After several seconds of passionate and mostly one-sided kissing, she stopped her kiss.

“M-makoto...” she said, breathless.

I didn’t expect her to take the initiative.

Yeah,I was really glad about the soundproof room, that way nobody would...hear...us….

“W-wait! The mic! The mastermind can hear us!”

SHIT. The camera, too. Shit, shit. I instantly promised myself I would forget about this fact.

Her visage somewhat paled and blushed simultaneously.

She shrieked and took the blanket to cover herself.

“I can’t let my fans see this! My reputation will be...ah, I forgot...”

She pushed her head under the blanket to hide her double-edged shame.

“I didn’t really plan for this to happen...” she (almost as graciously as she normally spoke) whined.

“M-me neither...”

“W-what don’t we stop here?” she asked, going back to her sense and blushing.

“Y-yes, it would be for the best.” I said, bashfully.”Sorry I forgot about the monitoring...”

“it’s okay. you couldn’t have known. beside, it’s not like I didn’t..appreciated it.”

I felt a small smile in her voice.

“But don’t hope I will actually let do that anytime you want just because you got a little bold.”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

“I’m letting you off the hook this time because it was cute, unexpected and funny.”

The dream of every young man :being told that their most bold seduction attempt are “cute”.

I feel like I might cry.

“N-not even a little bit because it was seductive?” I asked/complained.

“Maybe a bit.” She drew her head out of the covers, smiling.“My _actual_ offer still stand ,though.”

Oh,yeah. That was still pretty great, though I’m not sure how often I would dare use this right...especially with the event following her offer ,and especially after being reminded that we were on camera.

Hum, but I guess an appropriate moment would be…-I softly took her head and pressed my lips against her, closing my eyes just after seeing her surprised ones-...right now. If I didn’t do it now, I would never do it in a more casual setting.

“Tehehe. You’re so greedy and cheeky, Makoto.”

I think my action helped make the mood normal again. Time to leave.

We left my room and went into the kitchen. After once again helping with the meal along with Sakura ,Mondo and Kyotaka ,and being helped with installing the table by Hiro and Touko, everyone arrived to eat. And sadly, everyone involved Monokuma too.


	19. Chapter 19

“Hello everyone! Since you’ve been such good little boys and girls-or at least the two blackened who are dead-I will open another floor! That’s what they would have wanted,I’m certain.”

“So we will need to investigate the third floor...Who come with me?”asked Ishimaru.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Who want a linear, traditional progression? Already done!Cliché!Trope!

Instead, I will open the fifth floor, for no reason. Even I didn’t really plan this so I didn’t put any physical barriers, buuuut since you’ve got a deadly, deadly collar around you neck with a camera on it, I trust that you won’t make the stupid mistake of stepping into the third or fourth floor. Even if this is for a murder, I won’t allow it, so that mean I’m really serious about it.”

That information drew my attention.

Asahina sighed.“I hope no one will use what’s inside this new floor to set a murder...I mean, that’s what Celeste did with the second one. And why is Monokuma unlocking this floor already? Do you think there is something dangerous inside it?”

“Well, I suppose we will soon all be inside, so technically you are right.” smiled Byakuya.

She pouted.“Why are you so obsessed with annoying us? Aren’t you supposed to be an ultra-rich snob who don’t care about anything? Why can’t you just ignore us?”

“Well, if you want me to stop acknowledging your presence, I will do it with joy.”

“Hey! Answer first!” she protested.

“At least, the… unfortunate demise of our comrades should dissuade anyone from trying anything reckless.” supposed Taka.

“I don’t know if we can really be sure of that. The knew they would be executed if they failed and probably didn’t seriously considered that they could indeed be uncovered. No matter the punishment, the blackened can just pretend to themselves that they won’t get caught. Especially if they are desperate, impulsive or arrogant.” said Sayaka.

“Regardless, we can’t take any risks. I count on all of you being as vigilant and careful than possible.” said Kyoko.

“Good luck with that!” intervened Monokuma.

“...Why?” I asked.

“No reason!”

“Anyway, who will come exploring with me?” Taka asked again.

“Count me in.” said Mondo.

“I you want to prevent me from moving a little, you’re going to have to bind me!” declared Asahina.

“I think we are all motivated to explore a new area. And double checking everything seem like a good idea.” declared Sakura.

“Exceptionally, I think we should form groups of fives peoples to make sure nothing is stolen or missed.” I proposed.

Two group were then formed: one with Sayaka,Sakura,Asahina,me and Yasuhiro; and another with Touko,Byakuya,Mondo,Kyotaka and Kyoko.

There was some protests when Byakuya refused to go with Touko and Asahina refused to leave Sakura for the sake of some disagreeable snob, then Hiro decided that swapping with the heir or Touko would be a “bad omen” because our group were of five persons and shouldn’t be changed or something.

When we finally settled for totally inverting our groups except for Yasuhiro and Byakuya, Monokuma decided to appear and to announce he would not allow murder during half an hour to allow us to discover the floor more freely.

I’m sure he was doing it with a motive.

Once everyone ate, we were ready to explore.

We proceeded to the fifth floor while making sure to not go to another.

The fifth floor was unlike the others. It had a high ceiling, arches and bamboo behind glass.

The first two classrooms were without interest. But there was a third one.

When we entered, we were greeted with a blood-chilling sight: a ravaged classroom ,with marks of blood everywhere and silhouettes marked with cray on the floor and tables.

“W-what’s this?” asked Hiro.

“It look like there was a very violent fight here...”said Sayaka.

“But why would there be something like that in a school?” asked Asahina,a little pale.

“Those silhouettes...I doubt they represent the bodies of adults. Students would be far more fitting.

And these marks of blood look rather recent...I’m not an expert, but I’d say it date from between one or two week.” said Sakura.

“Maybe someone else went here and killed them? Or a group of peoples?”interrogated Hiro.

It is just Monokuma trying to perturb us? What does he have to win by doing that? And if this I s real...why is it here?

I hope those weren’t other participants of a killing game...else, my escape plan may be put in jeopardy.

We decided to left the room. There was nothing for us here.

The two other rooms were far more adapted for relaxation; the first was an archery range.

There were wood lockers, distant targets, a samurai armor next to a pink flower in a vase, and a straw post for sword practice. But what immediately drew my gaze were the magnificent cherry blossoms, their white-pinkish flowers reminiscent of Kyoko’s hair. Some of the petals were even falling right now.

“It’s really pretty...”

“I find them rather elegant too, said Kyoko, who joined our group to stay a little more here and have more time to inspect.

“It’s true that it’s agreeable to see something so floral after being stuck several days in this school...” said Sayaka.

“This place remind me of my dojo. This is somewhat a bittersweet thought, but I am happy to have access to this room.” added Sakura.

The second room was large and full of plants. There were all sort of plants and trees; some of which were giant, and either carnivorous or reputed for their horrid smell.

However, there was no foul odor here. Maybe those plants were modified by Ultimate Botanists?

The ambiance was pretty exotic and jungle-like; insects made a pleasant sound and the high ceiling was painted blue and white to mimic clouds.

“Behold! The terrible Carnivorous Plants! I found this name myself.” said Monokuma in the microphone.

“They’re far too big for a normal carnivorous plant!” said Ashaina.

“But are normal carnivorous plant really carnivore? If someone proposed me meat and that he ended up giving me insects, I’d be pretty disappointed! Those plant, however, are fully capable or eating someone. Be wary...very wary!”

“I’m certain that I could just open their mouth if I needed too.” remarked Sakura.

“And who would go into these plants in the first place?” asked Hiro.

“That’s not right at all!” raged Monokuma.” Interdiction of opening the plants! And interdiction of not going into them!”

“I don’t want to go inside a carnivorous plant!” protested Hiro.

“Me either.”

“I insist!”

“N-no way!” I said, hoping Monokuma was joking.

“Very well, if you’re going to not cooperate. But at least follow the first rule! Or else ,I will apply the second!”

I spotted a small structure in wood. Six chickens were inside. And not far away, there was a control panel . I approached and examined it a bit, but Monokuma’s voice interrupted me.

“No need to waste your energy! This is an automatic sprinkler. Each day at 7h30,it goes on for five minutes. You really shouldn’t change it! I mean, it’s locked anyway, but even if you succeeded, I would just kill you.”

Once a day,at 7h30,for five minutes...could be interesting.

“What with this focused look? Are you trying to get a girl wet? What a perverted mind you have ,Makoto. Not like you need it for it, considering what have been going on in your room with Sayaka.Hahahaha!”

“You little shit! Y-you don’t plan to show this to everyone, right?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to ,but since you were sooo rude to me,I decided I didn’t wanna be nice. I will begin to show it to the outside world, then maybe to the others if I’m bored.”

“No! Please! I beg you! I forgot about the cameras!”

“No more begging! No more excuse! You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demand it!”

“There are no rules against what I did!”

“So you admit it?I gotta tell you: this conversation was recorded and I’m totally gonna use it against you!Puhuhuhu!”

He could just use the footage of my room instead!

Oh,no...I won’t ever be able to look anybody in the eyes. Except Sayaka,but it’s only because they are really pretty.

I resumed my exploration to overcome the shame.

In the garden, there was a cabana; inside ,I found gardening equipment; shovels, hoes , lawnmower, pots, seeds... There was nothing out of the place (pickaxe came to my mind for no reason), or anything interesting.

We then progressed toward the last room. “Bio lab” was marked next to the unpainted metal door.

It seemed far less hospitable than the others, even without entering into it; the hallways became colorless and uniform, clashing with the more aesthetic ,open and natural section of this floor.

I opened the door. Cold air hit me in the face. Very cold, in fact; the floor was covered in ice.

Shaking, I noticed a shelf with transparent, sliding doors with chemicals things inside it;a table with some sciencey things on it; and finally, a lot of ...frozen iron doors with lights?

I think I already seen this in horror movies...those are freezer for dead bodies? So that would mean this place is a morgue…

Regardless, it was perfect. It was exactly what I needed. The cold would be a little annoying, but I wouldn’t last long. I probed under the table, and found a manual. It confirmed what I thought; those were fridge(eco-friendly apparently) and in stainless steel; the blue light meant they were functioning. I opened one of the inactivated one surmounted the freezing feeling to confirm that the inside too was in metal. Good.

I quickly escaped the room and went back into the relative warmth of the hallways.

Now that the whole floor was explored, I decided to wait for Byakuya to finish to pair with him.

“Since everyone is alive, I guess I should thank for keeping your promise. Thank you for doing what I asked you.”

“Don’t thank me to soon.” he smirked.

“W-what?”

“You don’t know yet if my promise will be kept. But do not worry, I will not betray it.”

“Ok...”

Once everyone was here, I asked them if we shouldn’t do the laundry now.

“Anyone want to take care of putting the blankets covers into the washing machine?”

“I’m up with it.” said Asahina.”Unless you have something planned, Sakura?”

“I had the intention to mount guard anyway.” she turned toward Sayaka. Perhaps thou will be free for discussion again?”

“I would love that!”

“We don’t need more than two peoples for taking these covers.” Hina said.

“So let’s go! We will beat the previous record of cover-fetching!” she began running.

“W-wait!”

And I did my best to follow her.

She already retrieved a third of the covers before I arrived.

I hesitated a little before taking Chihiro’s one.

…  
After we finished,we went into the laundry room and putting them in the machine.

“You’re pretty fired about this,Hina...”

“Of course!You gotta always do your best whatever the task is!Else,you will lose your fighting spirit. “The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.”

That’s a quote from Ken Doherty ,professional player of snooker.”

“...what is it?”

“That’s a variant of billiard if I remember right.”

“Does that really count as a sport?”

“Hey! That’s the spirit that count! That’s what this quote is all about!”

“Okay, okay. But I admit, I didn’t expect you to know quote from a discipline like that. Are you interested in other sports?”

“Of course! Why else would I have joined six sports teams?”

“S-six? That’s a lot of types of sports. How did you find the energy to do all this?”

“If you have the energy to swim like you mean it, you have the energy to do track, basketball, softball, volleyball and tennis! If you don’t do that, that mean you’re not putting everything into what you do.”

“I-I’m not sure about that! That look like a really difficult thing to do.”

“Well, competition is all about overcoming adversity! And if I didn’t spend my energy ,I would literally explode.”

“Literally?”

“Literally!”

You gotta love how this word is used nowadays. I think no word got it as bad as “literally”.

Wait, I’m in a killing game, why am I even thinking about that?

“Well, that explain how you can remain so fit while eating so many donuts.”

“It-t’s not like I began to swim to be able to eat more donuts, of course!” she said, looking away and like she actually begun swimming to be able to eat more donuts.

Does that mean junk food gave the Ultimate Swimming Pro her title? That seem rather counter-intuitive...

“Isn’t it too hard for you to spend your energy here? I mean,at least you have a swimming pool, and a training room. Though it doesn’t really seem like your kind of sports.”

“How is lifting weight a sport? You don’t move your body, there is no competition, you have to focus. This is almost the opposite of a sport!”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Plus, I don’t think billiard check a lot of your criteria...”

“Uuuugh!That’s not the problem! The problem is that there is not enough things to do here!

I already crossed the pool,like,one hundred time! This is small! Ultra small! Fishbowl small!”

“Didn’t you say it was an olympic-sized pool before? When you were training before, were the swimming pools really bigger?”

“No,but I wasn’t locked inside a school...I could move around wherever I wanted, vary my activity and change pools.”

“If the only things that changed your perception of swimming here is the fact that you’re locked, why not just pretend you’re not? It just seem like a state of mind to me. Maybe you just need to overcome adversity? I mean,I understand if it’s too hard...”

“Hey! How dare you use my own words against me. And did just insinuate that it was too hard for me?You totally insinuated it was too hard for me! Okay,it’s officially a challenge! I will make you chew back your words Makoto. Wow,I’m totally fired up now.”

“Well...at least now you don’t feel like the pool is not good enough.”

“Yeah,I guess I should thank you for that. Without exercise, I will actually, factually,literally DIE.

Like lions or cheetahs!”

I thought it was deforestation and illegal hunting that killed them...

“Hey, you don’t mind taking care of putting back the covers once it’s finished, right? I gotta try to beat my record of distance in one hour session in my adequately-sized pool. Thank you a lot!”

And she took off running.

She doesn’t lack energy, that’s for sure.

Um, I guess she recklessly left without leaving me the time to find another person first . Gotta go to the dining hall or dorm to find a partner.

At least, there was no way a potential blackened predicted she would do that.

I decided to go to the dining all, since Sayaka and Sakura were probably discussing right now.

Oh, and I needed to ask someone to go to the pool. Even better then, I wouldn’t have to stop their conversations, and if Mondo and Taka were here I could discuss with one and made the other speak with someone else. I wouldn’t want their bond to be *too* strong.


	20. Chapter 20

As expected,they were here. Does it never get boring for them to speak together and guard the entrance of the dining hall?

“Hello.”

“Heya,dude.”

“Greetings,Makoto!I was just speaking about Mondo about the benefits of regular training and self-discipline. I’m sure you could benefit from it, too!” he said, looking intensely at my thin arms and legs.

Hey,my eyes are up there.

“Yeah, this stuff seem awesome! I was already trainin’ a lot,but now I know trick to make sure I train even more! Setting up schedule, focusing on the results, recording how well I did...”

“Hum, that seem really neat, but could one of you go in the pool? I said something that made Asahina very energetic and she stormed up here alone.”

“Nngh!Were two murders not enough for her? I thought it was clear to everyone how important respecting the rules were! I will have to sermon her!” he said, internally exploding with outrage.

I don’t know if this is a good idea...I don’t want Asahina and Taka confronting each other when they’re both that heated up. Asahina can be scary when this is about competition, or food.

“Why not ask Mondo? There is no better way to prove he have learned a lesson by than explaining

it to someone else. And if Asahina did this,it’s because she almost gave up on training because she was feeling stuck, so if she has someone to train with she would probably not do it again. Plus,I’d love to talk with you a bit.”

I really hope I’m not stepping on a landmine since I don’t know if they came to an agreement about rules, I know they’re on good term, but it’s more due to their thirst for camaraderie rather than because they came to a rational understanding after a long debate.

“Mmm...” mumbled Kyotaka to himself.

“Excellent suggestion,Makoto! Beside, I’ve learned that confrontation is not always the answer to misconduct. Of course, it’s only if it’ fine for my bro!”

“You betch’a it is,bro!”

We were then left alone,at least as alone one could be when in presence of another person, especially when said person is the boisterous Kyotaka.

“So,how are things going with Mondo?”

“They are going great! I waited so long for the opportunity to have a friendly and close relationship with a fellow student!”

“Did you have troubles before?”

“Well...Of course not! How could I claim to relate to the average person if I didn’t succeed in the domain of friend-making!”

…

He maintained his smile during several, awkward seconds.

“Are you sure about this?”

“...Fine. You got me. No one wanted to be friend with the obnoxious, psycho-rigid, loud-mouthed hall monitor...But I don’t want to change! I’m doing this to restore the honor of my family! To be the best, most educated, most hard-working person I can be! And because of this, everyone always push me away...”

“Really? I mean,I can understand why they would, but...if they weren’t willing to look past the first impression, I don’t think they would have been good friend anyway.”

“Y-you think?Makoto...you opened my eyes! All this time, I thought I was failing to make friend...but in reality, I just didn’t found true ones! Thank you infinitely!

I have to admit I considered adopting a less hard-line approach, but I see now that I can go all out!”

“Um...”

“Wait...if the only problem was the persons I frequented, do that mean...that you’d be willing to be my friend?”

“Uh,yes? B-but you know, you don’t have to befriend everyone. And you don’t have to be more rigid about your moral code or more prone to intervene in other persons affairs…

For instance, you’re not as strict with Mondo ,right?”

“Wh...That’s untrue! I can’t favor anyone! As the Ultimate Moral Compass, I have to treat equally ,and I don’t feel like I am letting my bro do unsavory things. I make sure to tell him when he do so!”

“But you don’t do it in an authoritative way, right? It cost him basically nothing to accept since you’re not forcing it on him, and I’m almost certain you always make sure a rule is necessary before applying it to him.”

Tears began welling in his eyes.“No. That can’t be true! Does that mean...does that mean I have to stop being bro with him? To be as strict as before? T-this is my first friend! And I didn’t even notice...ugh!”

Trying to appease him, I put my hands in front of me.

“N-no! That’s not what I meant! Just that it’s more easy to get people to cooperate if you’re more tolerant and flexible at the beginning, and understand that it’s sometimes better give up on some rules than forcing them on someone with a personality not suited for it! And, uh,also ,you could be a little less preoccupied about the standard school’s rules. I assure you no one will think less of you for this, especially in a killing game.”

“So...I can remain friend with my best bro. I AM SO RELIEVED!

To be frank, I don’t know if I could have stopped my friendship even if it was my moral duty…

I will always be thankful to you for having this conversation with me ,Makoto.”

“Really, this is nothing.”

But I still needed to think a little about my plan.

“Hey, does it bother you if we stop talking for a little while? I need to think about something?”

“Of course not! Reflect to your hearth content, Makoto. It’s the least I can do for your help!”

“Thank you.” I answered, smiling. And with that,I dived into my thoughts.

Now that I knew exactly what I would be working with, I could work up more details.

I would need earplugs...is there wax here? I could use toilet papers and headset if I had to.

Guess I would need to wait for the night.

There was also the problem of not making Monokuma suspicious…

It would be more easy if I could say to Byakuya what to do.

Regardless, tomorrow would probably either see either our escape, or our collective death. Perhaps only mine if we and the mastermind got lucky. And everything was on my shoulders.

It was terrifying.

The ideal option would be if he realized what I was planning just before I did it, then relayed it to the others...no, he may still be executed even if he wasn’t the main instigator.

I would need to say it out loud as soon as it’s too late for Monokuma to do anything. No, wait, how would I survive if I did this?

…

I could think about it during the day...which left me only eight and half hours. I suppose I could wait more, but every wasted second could end up in murder, Monokuma providing new motives, or even the discovery of my plans.

After half an hour,Byakuya arrived.

“Makoto. Please come with me.”

“But I need to guard the kitchen.”

“Touko will take your place.”

She didn’t look too happy about that.

I followed him while he ascended the stairs and entered the library,then the small room next to it. Here, the camera couldn't totally see us.

He handed me a file .

I looked at it. It talked about Genocide Jack,and it was one of the last page.

“What do you see of interesting on it?”

“Uh...”

“Here, written in very small.”

He put his glasses on my eyes, obstructing my view.

And while it did not improve my vision in the slightest,on the contrary,I now saw more clearly what he meant.

Because on the glass was a paper, with a message on it.

“Oh,yeah. It seem pretty interesting ,but I’m not sure we should talk about it.”

“Very well. I thought it was pertinent to remind you that to accomplish things, you need to be able to compromise and to sacrifice. Do you think you will be able too, or will you let sentimentality lead you to your ruin?”

...I couldn’t fail them.

“I will.”

“Good.”

He went away without another word. I’m glad he figured this out. The trick with the glass is pretty good, if I had glasses I could have used this method instead.

Instead of carelessly exiting the room, he was waiting for me in front of the door, meaning his slightly dramatic escape was just for show.

What a strange attitude. But at least I could get him to help me.

While walking with him to seek a partner, I found Kyoko walking with Asahina.

“Hello Makoto. Could I speak to you privately?” the white-haired girl. Hum, unless it is lilac?Nah,I’m pretty sure this is white.

“Of course.”

I walked along with her. I had a pretty good idea as to what she wanted to tell.

“You want to apologize for every time you were too harsh one me, right?”

“Each of my actions toward you was perfectly justifiable and in general too forgiving.”

“Even when you disapprovingly glared at me when you said I always showed my emotions?”

“I did not. Because I’m extremely forgiving.”

“You totally did!”

“I suppose you want me to make my judgment more visible next time, then.”

“N-not at all!”

She led me in...the girls bathrooms?

“Hum, I will wait outside, I think...”

“No. Come with me.”

She took me by the arm and brought me here by force.

I didn’t understood why ,until she opened the closet. Unbelievably, there was a secret passage here. Look like it was recently made.

She led me inside.

“W-what is this place?”

“A secret passage. There are no cameras or microphones here, by all likelihood.

“But we still have our owns! And what if Monokuma know you found out this secret?”

“I couldn’t possibly find this passage without him noticing already. Take a page from this notebook.” I took one, as well as a pencil.

“Now, press the page against the wall, high enough to not be spotted by your camera. I will do the same.”

I obeyed, and she wrote something on her page.

“What is your plan to escape?”

“I don’t know if I can tell you.”

“I am qualified to help you with it. You can ask Taka if you do not believe me.”

I was a little uneasy about this, but...my plan was dangerous. What if I overlooked something? What if it could be better? She seemed rather smart.

I took a deep breath ,and I began writing on the paper.


	21. Chapter 21

“Very well. I have nothing more to add to improve your plan. It was simple,but efficient.”

“Thank you,I just did it instinctively...”

“Do not brag. It still had a lot of problems.”

“I-I’m not bragging!”

“I know.”

“Make sure to be secretive about it,okay?”

“Of course.”

Before Kyoko escorted me back to the dining room,I went check if the laundry was finished,

She helped me fold the covers and put them in front of our rooms. But there were four more bed covers than occupied rooms. I entered Chihiro’s room, a grim expression on my face,and made his bed one last time. Kyoko was first confused, but she soon adopted a neutral expression with...a hint of respect on it?

I did the same with Leon’s room, Hifumi’s and, after a bit of hesitation and a sigh, Celeste’s room too.

“For her too?” she asked.

“...Being angry at her won’t change anything.”

“You’re right. Though the opposite could be said too. This is very forgiving of you,Makoto.”

“I don’t want to be angry more than I have too. Or else, I could take the habit and be angry in situation where it would be better not to, or where it would be unjust to be mad. As long as I can do what is necessary without being held back by my emotions, it will have no negatives consequences to not indulge in anger.”

Kyoko seemed to silently approve my reasoning.

I finished completing my task and left for the meal.

Asahina and Mondo were in the dining hall along with Taka.

“Did you have fun at the pool,Asahina? Mondo was supposed to remind me to not leave,did it go well?”

“Oh yeah,it did! I told him that I was bored swimming by myself ,so he proposed to try to out-swim me. He’s pretty good at it when he’s motivated, you know?His technique is not terrible because...”

He sweated.“Please don’t tell them.”

“Hehe,there’s nothing wrong with not knowing how to swim.”

“...”

“Does that mean...” Taka looked a little shocked.”...that you skipped swimming lesson too?Do no worry,bro!Since Asahina had the kindness to help you, we will soon be able to hide this shameful truth!”

I’m not sure a moral compass should try to dissimulate the truth.

“...but he spend a lotta energy on it, and that’s the principal. I helped him improve anyway.”

“Yeah,it was pretty fun, though I lost. Not often I get competitive and shit against a woman, and even less losing against one...Maybe I wouldn’t be so bad to do it again. Huh,guess we will leave this place soon if you’re saying the truth,Makoto. So I guess I could do it once we’ve escaped.”

I wanted to swap Kyoko for Ishimaru,but…

“Hello Makoto!Tell me ,would you it be okay for you to replace me?I’d like so pend some time alone with Mondo.I know you already participated, but I have no doubt that someone as morally irreproachable as you will accept!”

Why are my good actions being used as emotional blackmail?

“I suppose Toko went back to her room or with Byakuya?”

“Yeah,she went with Byakuya, but it wasn’t in his or her room, they probably went upstair.” said Hina.

“Okay.Are you okay with guarding the kitchen with me ?I know you’re not very patient...”

“Nah,that’s okay,I’m a little tired now. Let’s say it’s to make it up to you for your help.”

“You’re not particularly helping *me*...”

“Disappointed! Ultra disappointed! I’m making an effort to help you by stopping moving ,which is probably wat happen in hell, and you’re not grateful! Apologize,now!”

“O-okay!I apologize, I apologize!”

She can be a little scary when she’s being prevented from training.  Still I guess I should be  thankful she’s willing to do it, it must be a little hard for her…

I hoped someone would replace me soon, since I still had some things to do for my plan.

I couldn’t just ditch her, it would look suspicious .

By luck, Sayaka soon arrived.

“Hi Sayaka.”

“Hi Makoto. Making yourself useful by guarding the kitchen? How reliable. Not that I didn’t knew that before,hehe.”

“T-thank you. Hum,could you take my place ,please?I...”

I’d better not tell I have something to do. Else Monokuma may focus on my camera.

“...I’m getting a little bored.”

“You’re no as reliable as I thought,Makoto...”

“Hey!I-I’m just taking a break.”

“Hehehehe!Just kidding,Makoto. I guess I will have an occasion to talk with Asahina.”

Geez…

“I would love to!” answered the swimmer.

Her reaction seemed to make Sayaka a little more relaxed...or at the very least, more genuinely relaxed. Asahina forgave Sakura so she would fit well with Sayaka, but it was better for her to have a confirmation of her pardon. Plus, they are both Sakura’s friend,so...that should be okay. I hope, and think, they will get along.

I walked toward the warehouse, and managed to find some craft paper bags. I took them with me in my room. I then reached under my bed, and put what was under in the bags without showing it to the camera. Then put the bags under my bed where the things I took were.

I already used a bed when fetching these in order to hide what it was, though I guess Monokuma could guess what it was by checking what was taken, but hey...I had to try.

My current plan was a lot better compared to the first ones I imagined.

Initially, I considered other scenario to get out of this place. Since killing someone was a sufficient requirement to leave, we could just sacrifice someone by killing him together. For instance, if we had a spear, or a kitchen knife strapped on a ruler, we could all hold it together to kill someone. I really didn’t felt good about having to sacrifice someone, and at first I refused to seriously consider it, but with the lack of medication kicking in and the motives videos, I had to. Said person would either be me or Byakuya. At first, I wanted to sacrifice myself since I was the one who came up with the plan ,and it would be very selfish to not do it myself,but...Byakuya showed us several times he didn’t care about us. Yes, he helped me with the plan. But at the time I didn’t knew that,and he has as much interest than me in beating the mastermind, so it’s only natural. And I don’t even know if he won’t find a way to stab me in the back ,maybe even thank to his participation in my scheme.

He is willing and able to kill us to save his life, and treated everyone badly. And he has a lot of power. I’m not sure letting a cold-hearted,selfish,arrogant,nigh sociopathic trillionaire in the world really count as a bad action. Honestly, if the situation was the opposite, he would’ve sacrificed me without a second of hesitation, I’m sure.

Since making everyone participate would be difficult, we could also try to make sure even Monokuma wouldn’t know who the blackened is. For instance, if we locked up someone in the sauna while hiding the responsible..ugh. We couldn’t even give the victim a knife to make it quick since it may count as suicide.

Or I could just hide the others cameras so I would be the only one punished, since he couldn’t sanction the others for my actions.

Another possibility would be asking the help of someone else to mislead Monokuma.

For instance, ask Sakura,Celeste or Mondo to fake a murder attempt on me while taking a photo to prove the opposite. Then get Monokuma to confirm they were the blackened; finally,reveal the photo to show Monokuma’s error. Or maybe putting a note publicly written by myself on my body and having someone show it during the trial. After all,Monokuma said he would punish anyone who would break the rules, including himself.

But like the end of the first trial showed it, he didn’t care about the rules. Why would he? It would be like giving us an invitation to exploit them and end this game. As long as the murderers thought their attempts would be rewarded; and as long we were under the impression there was a tiny chance for us of escaping alive that would prevent us from rebelling too actively, it wouldn't matter.

So I had to change strategy and directly confront the mastermind by making him lose control on us. And I couldn’t afford any mistake.


	22. Chapter 22

Monokuma Theater

*curtain open*

Life is like a road. Well, maybe more like a railroad, since you can’t go back, but I decided it looked like road. There is not such a thing as a good or bad road, right? It depend on where you want to go. And it’s up to you to decide where you want to travel, which in general result in happiness for you.

That’s why there is no such thing as a bad or good actions ,or a bad or good way or life.

The only thing that matter is that you make sure to do what you want, regardless of the pesky judgment of other peoples!

*curtain fall*

xxx

All lights are turned off.

A girl enter Mukuro’s room with a bag.

She open the drawer, seem to take something inside, then go behind it for some unknown purpose.

She leave.

Some hours afters, another girl enter.

She open the drawer too, but does not seem to find anything.

She soon leave.

xxx

*Ding dong,ding dong*

I opened my eyes. Truth is, I was already awake at least an hour before the alarm.

As usual, I unlocked everyone, had a little discussion with Sayaka before that helped soothe my nerves, and we begun to eat.

But at the end of the breakfast, I made a request.

“Could you come with me to the bio-lab, please?”

“W-why? This is s-suspicious...” grumbled Touko.

“No one asked your opinion.” reprimanded Byakuya.

“I believe we should follow him. We do not risk anything.” said Kyoko.

“Let’s get this over with.” grumbled Mondo.

“Let me just grab something first.” I said.”And take your e-handbooks with you.”

I went into my room and took the bags under my bed, along with my own tablet.

Everyone quickly grabbed theirs and waited outside the dorm.

Once everyone was done,even Yasuhiro,we quickly ascended the stairs. When we arrived in front of the uninviting door of the bio lab, the cold air like acting like it wanted to prevent us from entering, and I gave each person a bag.

“I’m going to go inside the fridge and close the door. If anything happen, Sayaka will take the lead,then Kyoko. From now on, please refrain from asking questions and do what I say,no matter how strange it is. In each of your bag is a headset and toilet-paper earplugs. Please put them on. And always keep your bags.”

xxx

_It was nighttime. Everything was silent._

_A door slowly opened, and a silhouette exited the room, a hand near their neck.  
Makoto walked toward the kitchen, trying to make sure to not make a sound._

_Who knew, maybe making a noise at this hour would trigger a program analysing camera footage which would put attention on his movement. If he thought about it a little, he would have concluded that any movement he made would probably be recorded, put on a map of the school and then be showed to the mastermind; but even with this hypothetical knowledge, he would have tried to be silent anyway._

_He didn’t retrieve what he wanted before to avoid drawing suspicion, but with a little luck he would get away with it without being noticed. After all, there were a lot of peoples to monitor, and the mastermind needed to sleep...supposing they were alone._

_He put his hand on his blinded collar camera, wet toilet paper covering it._

_It was forbidden, but what he was doing was certainly forbidden too. At least, their captor wouldn’t know what he did and with a little luck would think it was just the mattress or the blanket obstructing the electronic eye._

_He opened the drawer, and here it was. The aluminum._

_With that, he could isolate the collars from the signals those were receiving. Hum, maybe it would be better to put it in the bag to conceal it a little. He went into the warehouse to take one, and came back._

_He also took scissor to cut it to make it fit around the collars, as well as a knife to make it look like he was planning a murder if Monokuma was looking despite his precautions._

_Beside, he may need it against the mastermind. It made him a little nervous to take a weapon like that, but he would_ _discretely put it back in the kitchen_ _in a few minutes by using a blind spot of the camera and_ _obfuscating the sight with_ _his body._

_Now, he needed to test the collars. If he was really lucky, interrupting the signal would be enough._

_More realistically, it would activate them. He went toward Junko’s room,where Sakura put the body._

_He didn’t knew if the mastermind would let the body here; he hoped that it wasn’t taken already._

_Or that they weren’t planning to do so soon._

_Yes, he really was praying that he wasn’t drawing attention on himself._

_With relief, he found out nothing had changed._

_First, he unfolded the aluminum. He didn’t really believe it, but perhaps the signal was only coming from one direction._ _Doubtful_ _, since their tablets were geoloc_ _alised_ _with precision and that nor a single_ _transmitter nor a GPS would allow that…wait, if the collar too was geolocalised,the mastermind would know he did something fishy, right?He swore under his breath._

_Too late. He tried to deactivate the collar anyway, trying each possibility, including the top and the bottom._

_No results._

_He sighed and tried something more dangerous: he threw the metallic sheet on the collar and stepped back. If the collar activated,it would be a little dangerous,and would certainly alert the mastermind;but it would be the proof that just cutting the signal was dangerous, and he just deduced that the mastermind probably_ _already_ _knew his actions._

_Nothing. Really? Makoto couldn’t believe his luck._

_Until he envisaged that maybe the collar was deactivated since its wearer was no longer alive._

_Yeah, more like his luck._ _Well,it was better than the collar exploding, undoing all his effort to be silent. That way, there was a little possibility that isolating the collar was enough._

 _With that in mind,_ _he cut the metallic sheet with his scissor ,before making it adopt the form of the collar by pressing it against it;_ _he_ _then_ _went into his room again._

Everyone looked inside their bags. Asahina looked surprised and Hiro seemed like he wanted to ask a question,but…

“No questions!No speaking!” I reminded them.  
I entered the cold room,and motioned to them to come closer when they didn’t move.

“ _I want to try and see if the fridges can interrupt the collars signals. But I need Monokuma to deactivate my collar first to not blow up, at least if the absence of signal trigger it._

_With a bit of luck, it will vibrate or beep before exploding and I will have the time to go out of the fridge; that way the mastermind would avoid loosing us by mistake if our signal was to be interrupted._

_If it doesn’t deactivate them then I will have to give up on trying to escape this way._

_If nothing happen, then I will know that it’s possible to deactivate the collar. “ I wrote._

“ _I also want the others to enter the fridges too. While I don’t believe it will happen, it is possible that abruptly loosing the signal for an instant will suffice to disable them in some way._

_After all, the collar has no way to know whether or not the source of the signals it receive is legitimate or not. Sure, there is certainly a numeric key, but keys can be cracked.”_

“ _Why would the mastermind want to deny others the access to the collars? Why not just make the collar explode when it loose the signal?”_

_But her expression told me she already had the answer. She just wanted to see if I reached it by myself._

“ _Because even if the mastermind warn the government that any attack on the source of the signal will kill us all, there is no way for the instigator of this killing game to prove they aren’t bluffing._

_In fact, it would be less risky for them to do just that and bluff about this point._

_Though the mastermind could put this functionality out of spite, they would then deprive themselves of precious hostages._

_For your other questions, the government may try to use the cameras to check the inside of the building or the status of the students. And...in the worst case, they may even activate the collars themselves and blame the hostage-taker . After all, neither giving terrorist what they want nor refusing to give in to them and getting fifteen Ultimates killed are appealing options.”_

“ _What about the rest of the class?What if Monokuma activate the collars when he understand your plan?”Kirigiri wrote back._

“ _...We will act fast. I will write instructions to make them enter the fridge quickly. I will deafen them with earplugs and headsets to make sure Monokuma can’t order them to say where they are. And we will still be in the school; he won’t kill us while he think he is in control. With a little luck,he won’t be able to trigger the collars instantly. Maybe he will need to open a program first, and to confirm the decision after clicking. That should work. Unless you think it’s too risky?”_

“ _No,it should be sufficient. But once the collars are deactivated, what do you plan to do?T he mastermind will still have firepower on their side, as well as cameras. Plus, we do not know how to leave this place, even without fear of punishment.”_

“ _I have found a weapon.”_

“ _A weapon? I hope you’re talking about a firearm.”_

“ _Yes. It was hidden inside the room of Junko. I found it when I inspected Junko’s room, concealed behind a false bottom in a drawer; but I didn’t verify it was still here by fear of being spotted by Monokuma. I hope it wasn’t taken, by him or by someone else. Today,I will retrieve it.”_

“ _You should rather wait for your collar to be neutralized. The headmaster will take some time to intervene and he could trigger the collar if he found out the gun.”_

“ _Oh,good idea.”_

“ _And do you even know how to fire it”_

“ _Not really. You just have to aim and press the trigger, right?”_

“ _...I will pretend I didn’t hear this, and you will let me take the gun.”_

“ _Oh,okay...Thank you,I don’t know what I would do without you.”_

“ _I do. Fail.”_

“ _That’s a little harsh.”_

“ _What about leaving the school?”_

“ _Well,hum,do you have an idea?”_

“ _My harshness was entirely justified.”_

“ _Aw, come on. Getting rid of the mastermind control on us is a good thing regardless, right?And I’m sure we will find a way to leave.”_

“ _And I’m sure I will be the one to find it. Leave it to me.”_

“ _Sure. Oh, and if things don’t...go like planned ,I can trust you to take the leadership, right?_

_I will pretend Sayaka is my second-in-command, but I will tell her to discretely rely on you._

_That way, you will be less of a target.”_

“ _I am not scared of the mastermind.”_

“ _I don’t think it will do a lot of good if you’re dead...I need you to stay alive.”_

“ _Very well. I will let it pass since this is more cunning than I expected of you. The idea of you hiding something does not come easily to the mind.”_

“ _Given the glare you gave me the last time you said something like that, I’m not sure I should take that last part as a compliment...”_

Once everyone was there, I took a deep breath as I opened the fridge’s door. For all I knew, it may very well be my last. I entered the fridge and closed it. It was freezing, but at least it gave me something other than fear to focus on. It took me one second to think that, then that second became two,three,four. I was still alive. I waited a little more in case the collar took some time to activate after the loss of signal. Five,six,seven. Still no vibrations or anything. The cold began to really get into me. I reached inside my bag. Eight,nine...I took the aluminum “collar” I made and covered my collar with it. Ten. Finished. The aluminium collar covered the true one.

I did it. I’m alive. And my collar can’t receive signals anymore.

I quickly opened the door and energetically motioned to all of them to come inside, nearly forgetting that they couldn’t hear me and cry due to my relief.

“HEY!What are you doing? Come back right now or I will activate your collars!” threatened Monokuma, his voice far less controlled and playful than normally. But as planned, the earplugs prevented them from getting frightened and obeying, and Monokuma wouldn’t kill them if he knew they didn’t even hear his demands.

They entered the fridges and I closed the doors until everyone got the message and closed their door themselves. I had to hope they had all read the instructions and would obey.

Fifteen seconds later, everyone was out of the fridge, shaking due to the cold, and with aluminum covering their collars.

Everyone but one.

I motioned to open the person’s door, but it opened by itself.

Sayaka had her hands around her throat, tears coming from her eyes.

And the reason was because her collar was chocking her.

“S-Sayaka!”

I quickly removed the aluminum, hoping it would stop this...no, if the collar was active it was because Monokuma activated it, right? That meant it had nothing to do with the loss of connection.

I needed to convince Monokuma.

“Monokuma!Wait!I have a proposition for you,please stop!”

I had no idea what I could propose to Monokuma,or how good my position was, but I needed to find a way!

“And why would that, please say?!” answered the voice from the speaker.

“Y-you don’t want us to leave,right?”

“Then tell your friends to stay!”

I couldn’t do that!Would they even obey?

“Stop the collar first!” I panicked, looking at Sayaka’s tortured face.

Miraculously, it stopped. Sayaka was taking big gulp of air, her face red.

“Now,tell everyone to stay and put their collar back on, or there will once again be a lot of demand for oxygen and not a lot of supply!” threatened Monokuma.

Byakuya looked like he was ready to leave, and Touko would probably follow him.

I shouldn’t be surprised. Frankly, if everyone didn’t care and left, it would mean I had no control of the situation and Monokuma couldn’t pressure me; he would just have to force me to stay here with Sayaka. If only...

“I can’t do that. What proof do you have that you will not just kill Sayaka once we put back our collars?”

For all answer, the collar begun to choke Sayaka again.

“T-that just mean you don’t have way to prove the opposite! You’re planning to kill Sayaka either way, or else you would be arguing logically!”

The pressure lost power, but Sayaka still struggled to breathe.

“If you don’t want her to die, I assure you that you should obey! It was merely a demonstration!”

“I you killed her, you wouldn’t have any mean of pressure on us!”

“The building is locked and I am armed, I don’t really care about your doomed escape tentative. You know, I don’t have to KILL her. I can just make able to breath just enough to survive ,then knock her off if she try to escape. Maybe cause her some brain damage, too. Is that what you want?”

I took a deep inspiration.

“If you really weren’t bothered by this, you would just prove it by the example like you chocked Sayaka and come here to kill one of us.“

“Nope! I know you will probably refuse, it’s just that it will be so funny seeing the despair in your eyes when you realize you killed your girlfriend!”

“Then that mean you’re planning to kill her either way!”

“As if! I’m a lot more interested in the killing game!”

“Then you’re not ready to kill her.”

“Na na na!Not hearing you,not hearing you!Oops,I think I inadvertently pressed the “choke” button again! How unlucky!”

A chocked sound came out from Sayaka’s moth again.Crap.

“L-let’s do a contest!”

“A contest? Why,you plan to replace Leon as the Ultimate Athlete?Or Sayaka as the Ultimate Singer?”

We already determined that this “game” was probably being broadcasted.

So maybe making things interesting would get him to agree?

And I maybe had one advantage, one information that the mastermind have but probably doesn’t know I have.

I had to make Monokuma believe he was the one tricking me, not the opposite.

“Let me try to find a way out! No restriction on what we can do. If I succeed, you will let everyone leave and I will stay here instead of Sayaka.”

“Okay, let’s do that after the contest.”

“No, we will do that right now, or else you will break your promise and wait for me to put the collar to take both of us hostage again.“

“...”

I really hoped he would accept. I didn’t really have a plan if he did, except…

...

“Okay.”

Yes!

“But only you and Kyoko. The others stay here!”

“W-why?”

But I had an idea why.

“Because it would be too easy. And because I said so!”

Normally, I would refuse...but this demand confirmed what I already suspected. And knowing this should suffice to give me the upper hand; I really wasn’t sure if Monokuma would accept any deal if he didn’t thought he would have this unknown advantage.

“...I accept.”


	23. Chapter 23

Now that I thought about it...the collar could be a problem. I would be constantly monitored.

But it also meant that Monokuma would be more confident I would fall into his trap...it would also mean he couldn’t let me be killed, since he would be accused of killing me with the collar;it would also prevent him from using his advantage too much. With a little luck, Monokuma did not realize that the collar would prevent him from using the ace in his sleeve at its full potential.

“Beary good!You have until today to find an exit! Once midnight bell ring, it’s over,like in Cindarella. Unlike in the story, however,the only thing that will be transformed is you into a bloody pulp!”

I don’t want to think about this metaphor more than I have to do.

Apparently,Monokuma had lowered the collar pressure during our conversation, since Sayaka was able to speak without too much difficulty(and was probably just due to the previous pressure on her throat)

“W-wait! You don’t have to do this! Just let me keep the collar, there is no need for this!” said the blue-haired girl.

“Nah.”

Thank,Monokuma.

After an apologetic eye contact, I removed the aluminum around my collar.

“You can put it back around your collar, Sayaka.”

“M-Makoto...”

She slowly did so, looking at the floor.

“I must find an exit. Bid me good luck.”

I walked out of the room.

“G-good luck, Makoto...” said the idol, her voice chocked by the emotion or by what just happened to her.

“We’re counting on you,little guy.” said Yasuhiro.

“...I commend your spirit of initiative and self-sacrifice, Makoto!You will succeed!For justice!” encouraged me Kyotaka.

“...Yeah…same as my bro...” said Mondo.

Toko mumbled something while Byakuya stayed silent.

“Thank you.”

I was doing this for everyone. I was about to ask Kyoko to come, but she was already at my side.

“Let’s go,Makoto.”

“ _...and I should write order to follow on little pieces of paper._

_And once I finish writing my plan for the others, I should ask them to_

_HIDE THIS FROM THE CAMERA ,at any cost._

_ Ask Monokuma for an empty freezer or vault for the murder capable of containing a body? _

_A potential murderer could do that, I should stay very vigilant on this topic._

_Perhaps I could pressure Monokuma to not do this, ~~perhaps my saying it would make the game unfair.~~ ”_

_I sighed. The headmaster already showed they would not hesitate to change the rule and infiltrate agent._

_They were also willing to kill me just for resisting, even though I didn’t kill anyone._

_I took the ruler and ripped the bit of paper, and put it with the others._

_I took another._

“ _The best way to confront Monokuma is to force him to come here,probably by using …_

_not going to write this one down either,Monokuma. Hope you have fun watching me .”_

_The camera was close to me, on the ceiling. I would have went into the toilet, but my collar camera_

_would have given it away and Monokuma could try and pressure me into not hiding this from him._

_I finished eating a little before 12h30 and it was 15H30.I made some pauses, but I had worked at least two hours. It would be enough._

_I took all the useless pieces of papers, bent over the bin I put next to my chair, incidentally hiding it’s content from view, and opened my hand. A rain of paper fell._

_But there was one paper I kept and put in my sleeve. I just had to show it to Byakuya._

“ _Sayaka, can you let me alone with Byakuya a second? We will go in the room next to this room and I don’t want him to feel listened to, so you should probably go in the furthest corner. You can read a book during this time if you want, it won’t be too long anyway. ”_

“ _Okay, if you want to.”_

_One camera taken care off._

_I walked toward the other room ,Byakuya in front of me._

_I licked the palm of my hand to make sure the paper would stick. I wouldn’t want the paper to fall when I would took it out of my sleeves._

_When Byakuya reached the end of the room, he turned toward me._

“ _So?”_

_Softly, I asked.”Do you plan to kill someone?”_

_I threw my hands in the air and then turned my palms toward him in appeasement. In reality, to show him the paper I stuck on my hand with my saliva._

“ _HIDE THIS FROM THE CAMERA ,at any cost._

_ Ask Monokuma for an empty freezer or vault for the murder capable of containing a body?” _

_He looked at my raised hands, and toward me, then slowly smirked._

_At the end of the conversation, I had good hopes that I would get my mean to disable collars soon enough .If Monokuma accepted,that is. But Byakuya’s selfish and smart enough that Monokuma may not be surprised by the strange request ._

“Do not move.”

Putting to good use her position behind me, she showed me the written note she just made without exposing it to my or another camera, confirming we would be going to the first floor to retrieve the gun .

“If I may ask, why was the plan differing from what you told me?”

“...ah,so you didn’t remark...I was afraid Monokuma would find out despite your precautions. So I wrote a fake plan which was very similar to the true one, I thought you would find by yourself that the “plan” was a little weird and that the second would work. This plan was the main reason Monokuma would deactivate the collar for me alone, else I would have to bet that he would be quick enough to disable all the collars but not fast or willing enough to kill one of us as a warning. I even showed him the plan by pretending to not notice I let the paper in the field of vision of my camera. I think, at least...I was scared to not be subtle enough so I tried to not make it obvious but if I’m alive then that mean he probably seen it.

And anyway, there is no flaw in my true plan you didn’t already covered right? So it’s not like I was in risk of losing anything by doing that; your advice were still helpful despite what I hid from you. “

“...I see.”

“You’re not mad, right?”

“Not in the slightest. Now follow me instead of speaking.” she answered in an even more emotionless and neutral voice than normal, already distancing herself from me.

She’s definitely mad!

We were approaching the first floor step by step, our footsteps echoing in the staircase in the otherwise empty building our captor wanted us to call “school”.

“It was a bad idea to exchange place with Sayaka.”

It was Kyoko,breaking the silence.

“…”

“I understand that it is hard for you to let your girlfriend in danger, but there are too many lives at stake for you to indulge in sentimentality.”

“G-gh!Are you referring to what happened in the trial? It was just...I was just taken by surprise!”

“I assure you I did not wait for your tongue to slip to see what was going on.”

“I...”

“Really, you don’t have to answer.”

At this point, I had stopped walking and was just standing in front of the stairs linking the first and second floor.

“I-I couldn’t just let Monokuma strangle her! It wasn’t so bad of an idea, right?”

“Not only are you a more valuable hostage and gave Monokuma the opportunity to cheat and take two hostages ,but Monokuma can now monitor everything you do, even if the other camera’s are taken care off.”

“I’m not better than Sayaka. Monokuma could just have sent her,no?”

“He may have. But he would have to both deny the apparent leader his right to participate as well as selecting an attempted murderer that few would trust. And unlike our last plan, she wouldn’t have the authority that the emergency of the situation and your backing would have given her.

As for you not being better than Sayaka,you know what I’m trying to convey. Whether you want it or not,your classmates like you better than her and they will feel forced to stay and help you if your life is in danger.

I will say it again:you cannot let your feelings hold you back. “

“...I understand.”

We went down the stairs and reached our objective.

“Since you’ve got this camera on you, you should stay here when I investigate.We have to keep the benefit of surprise.” said Kyoko.

She gave me a meaningful glance when she said “investigate”. She must be talking about the part when we fetch the gun.

“Oh,yeah,of course-Wait,won’t the others camera cause some problem?”

I was thinking of the gun retrieval part.

“We will disable them first and use a bag to prevent any mistake from our part.”

“But it’s against the rules!”

“It is true, but you specifically asked for “no limitation.” Therefore, we can destroy cameras as we want. You can help me with that, even if you can’t help me directly.”

“Oh...that’s true. But are you sure Monokuma will agree?”

“If he don’t want everyone to conclude he is of bad will and stop negotiating with him, they won’t.

Plus, you are the only one here with a collar; it would be unwise of him to kill you.

Which is why I have something else to ask of you: once we’re finished breaking the cameras mount guard. I cannot investigate and hide at the same time.”

“Got it.”

“Then let’s begin. Follow me.”

“...wait, if we can destroy the cameras, why can’t I obfuscate mine with my hands or something?”

Three second later, I emitted a small yelp when I felt a piercing sensation on my neck.

“M-Monokuma!Y-you said there wasn’t any restrictions!”

The speaker rattled my ears once again.“Upupupupu...But you agreed to wear this collar!What’s the point of wearing the collar if you deactivate its functions? What’s the next step, putting aluminum on it again and saying that you’re still technically “wearing the collar” ?That’s a slippery slope!Rrahhhr,you’re making me so mad!”

“T-that’s totally different!It’s not even like I could just isolate my collar without you disabling it first!”

Kyoko gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

“...like I feared. You will have no choice but to abide by whatever restriction Monokuma force on you.”

“B-but...”

She supportively put her hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. We will win this, I promise you. I can do the investigating by myself without problems.”


	24. Chapter 24

She walked past hall’s camera without as much as a glance toward them.

“Hum,Kyoko,why aren’t you breaking the cameras?”

“If you’re able to destroy camera’s with your bare hands ,you are welcome to try,b ut I will use tools, for my part.”

I felt immediately stupid,which was a rather common occurrence when around Kyoko.

That, and feeling bullied.

“Oh,right.”

I would normally add something about how stupid it was of my part, but seeing that she would without a doubt agree with my self-depreciating remark, I didn’t.

“Are you planning to use the golden sword I found with Sayaka?”

I asked ,hoping to regain her respect. Assuming there was any respect in the first place.

She told me she respected him more when he exposed his plan, but maybe her trust in me was negative at this moment in time. I couldn’t help but feel like it was a little unfair, given how I was the one who came up with the plan in the first place, as well as policies to prevent murders.

She passed in front of the kitchen without stopping.

So much for regaining her respect.

She led me to the warehouse.

“Did you spot something interesting in it? Normally, we took care of removing any object capable of breaking a camera...o-or someone’s skull...”

“Brute force...” she took some paint sprays “...is not necessary to disable a camera.”

Obstructing the field of vision with paint...is a lot more simpler and a lot more quicker.

She gave me one and I took it.

“Okay,I’m ready to disable the cameras.”

“I will take care of the dormitory. You will take care of the school part; the mastermind would not likely attack us before he believe we may win, but having you in position to warn me if he arrive cost nothing.”

“Got it.”

I was a little nervous about being in the first line, but it was true that Monokuma probably wouldn’t attack us now.

I went trough the door separating the two parts of the first floor, spotted the closest camera ,took my paint spray and obstructed the field of vision of the monitoring device.

I repeated the operation for every camera that I could paint while staying at earshot of the hallways.

I waited a little for Kyoko to finish, and she disabled the cameras I couldn’t safely reach.

But before she could check Junko’s room for the gun, I gave her a message:

“check for hair stuck behind drawer, on the left”

It was a fail safe I put in place. If the mastermind or anyone else was to open the drawer, the hair I glued would fall; or at the very least, the half glued on top of the drawer would not be stuck anymore.

She nodded and went away. I didn’t follow her because of my camera but I knew her objective was Junko’s room.

Very soon, she came back . I opened my mouth to ask if she found anything but she just shook her head. Right,Monokuma’s listening. I knew she would not find anything anyway.

She wrote something on the notebook she took with her:

“I have the gun, and everything was as you described. ”

“W-what ?Really ?”

In my surprise, I couldn’t help but speak loudly.

“Why are you so surprised ? »

“What next? We should go and try to find a way to escape, no? Maybe in the unexplored floors?”

She answered vocally.“Rather obviously, yes. There was nothing which could help us in the floors we already explored.”

“...Now that I think about it,I don’t see why Monokuma would put objects that could help us escape in the other floors too.”

“Of course. But if Monokuma felt the need to threaten us that much to stop us from trying to escape, then that mean he must have a reason to. Showing he didn’t even need to act to keep us here would be even more depressing for us, yet he didn’t do it. So there must be a way to leave. ”

“Yeah,you’re right. But right now, I really don’t see how we’re supposed to escape if the others floors are like the others...”

“I thought optimism was the one thing you had going for you. Should I conclude you now have nothing going for you?”

“Hey!”

Come on!

“Anyway,where do you want us to investigate first?”

“...I have no idea what is on any of these floors, Makoto. We’ll just begin by the highers unexplored floors ,since it is slightly more likely that something which could help us is here, given that the floor is less accessible. After all, the mastermind probably wasn’t planning to give us access to the morgue too soon.”

“Oh,right. I’m following you.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. Your collar’s camera will give him information; just by precaution ,we shouldn’t let him have that.”

“Oh,okay...Is it really that important though?I mean, he will know if we find a way to escape eventually,we have to tell him after all,right?And he probably already know where things which could helps us leave are hidden...”

“Indeed, but have you noticed that the mastermind never promised to not interfere?”

“Huh?”

“If they found out we’re on the verge of succeeding, they could always come here and try and stop us.

It would be a dangerous move on their part since the others may consider this a violation of implicit rules, but this is still better for him than just going back on his promise. Furthermore, they may be more hesitant to attack me if they do not know where I am; they could be taken by surprise and incapacitated. Unlikely, but they probably think they are in a very good position right now,with weapons,cameras and a challenge they are almost certain we will lose;they will be reticent to take even small risks. “

“I see...I feel a little useless though.”

“I understand.”

“...can I do anything to help?”

“By moving. Our enemy will not try anything this soon.

xxx

_Only one room left to lock.I knocked on it. It was almost immediately opened._

“ _As you can see Makoto,I am indeed in my room! You can lock it now, and thank for your help in keeping this school orderly and safe!”_

“ _I’m not sure I can call this school safe. Not when when I failed to prevent two murders and two executions this very morning. That’s why I’m planning to have everyone escape from it.”_

_I put out my notebook and took all the necessary precaution to avoid cameras._

“ _And for this, I have a question to ask you: what was the secret Kyoko told you and Chihiro to make you trust her?”_

_I handed him a pencil and a page._

“ _Hmm...I promised not to tell it to anyone, even you, in order to keep her safe. I am not sure I can do that.”_

“ _But Chihiro is dead,isn’t it?Two peoples were supposed to know the secret. It is a little dangerous to entrust only one person with it, should they die or lie about it. And I need to know this for my escape plan to work to be as safe as possible. We will soon, so there will be no murder,I promise that.”_

_Well, admittedly the two peoples audit thing was more to verify that Kyoko’s excuse was adequate and was not supposed to entail the passing of the knowledge, but my other arguments were still valid._

“ _Mmm...very well!It is true that I didn’t take into account...the unfortunate demise of our friend Chihiro.”_

_He lost his energetic and smiling attitude for a second._

“ _But I am very happy to hear that your plan will soon come to fruition! And to show my trust in you...I will tell you what Kyoko said to me! Prepare yourself!”_

“ _Y-yes?”_

“ _Kyoko is actually...a detective!”_

_... uh. _

_ For some reason, I’m not that su r prised . _

“ _And why did she wanted you to hide this? Why didn’t she just told us that?”_

“ _Because it may prompt some ill-minded people to try to kill her, for their crimes may then stay unsolved and would curb the trial in their favor. Not that I believe anyone here would do that!_

_Also, just in case the mastermind doesn’t know her identity, she’d rather not attract heir attention”_

“ _Ah,I see.”_

_Understandable._

_...But would have Sayaka tried to kill Leon if she knew the Ultimate Detective was here?_

_ Would have Celeste murdered Chihiro and manipulated Hifumi to  steal Leon’ s life ?  Would he even let himself be manipulated in these condition? _

_...and Kyoko looked very smart and felt like someone capable of defending herself._

_ So wouldn’t she  be  a harder target than the others peoples anyway? _

_As for the second argument coming from Kyotaka’s mouth,I did not see how the mastermind could possibly not know about the talent of one of his “student”. If Kyoko’s talent really was a secret to him, then it would be an exception compared to all the other’s student title that Monokuma definitively knew._

_But anyway,why allow a detective in a killing game in the first place?_

xxx

Our modus operandi was the same for the second and fifth floor. I stayed vigilant while disabling the cameras not too far from the floor entrance, and she finished what was outside of my area.

She was slower than me, but I’m pretty sure it was because she quickly inspected each room she came into.

We then explored the other floors, beginning by the highest one like Kyoko said.

This time, we stayed to examine what was here after making sure we couldn’t be seen.

The floor was strange; it was in good part made of a see-trough metal grids.

I could see an empty space and light under us;I could see exactly what if was if I crawled on it to be closer.

Naturally, I didn’t do that, and put my paint spray to use again.

Kyoko explored some rooms on her side, but soon I heard a door rattling.

“Is there a problem?”

“This door is locked. The room is labeled as a data center. But it seem rather sturdy. Impossible to open it.”

“That’s too bad...”

“Yes. Go back to your post.”

After a little while, I heard another door refusing to open, and she was back.

“I found another locked door . But it look a lot more fragile; it is only in wood. I need help to break it.”

“O-only wood? I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to do this...can’t we finish inspecting and securing all the other rooms first?”

“No.” She dragged me with her, instead of just walking and knowing I would follow her.

“W-what about my job of guarding the stairs?”

“Nothing will happen. They won’t intervene before we find something.”

“Why do you want to enter so badly?”

“Because it’s locked. And because it’s the headmaster office.”

“The headmaster?”

“I came for him.”

“What?”

“I came to Hope’s Peak academy for him. To bring things to an end.”

“What? Isn’t he the mastermind? What are you talking about?”

“...Nothing.”

I didn’t understood what she was talking about. Bringing things to an end? Why did she know the person who was probably the mastermind? How did she knew he was a man?

Why was she confused?

“Help me open this. Please.”

I slowly nodded, put my shoulder forward, and charged. Kyoko did the same. The shock was painful, but the sound that the door made when Kyoko collided with hit distracted me from it.

It looked like her action was significantly more powerful than mine.

“Again.”

We retried. Was it her emotions that made her strike so powerfully, or was she just that strong? Probably both.

She put herself into position again.

I muffled a small cry of pain at the third impact.

Not only were her hits intense, but it felt like she was striking at exactly the good spot.

I wasn’t an expert on door-breaking but I could feel that each ounce of energy was redirected toward the weak points of the structure.

The third time, the door hinges broke. I was rubbing my shoulder, my expression denoting my pain.

None was visible in her own. She wasn’t even looking like she was trying to hide it.

I looked toward the now open entrance.

The room inspired respect. There were framed photos, some in white and black.

Double curtains concealed what could only be large windows. At the left, the gold of decorations and awards, protected by a box of glass ;at the right , a classy cabinet full of books visible trough the partially windowed door.

But the main point of focus was without a doubt the headmaster desk, surrounded by flags with the school’s crest at its left and right, highlighted by the coat of arm behind it and whose importance was underlined by the wide and comfortable leather divan.

The low-table between the two was as dark as all the the furniture in the room, contrasting with the light yellow of the wall, the carpet ,and closed curtain, while the light-brown open ones stood as the only transition between the two palettes.

This well-organized harmony was broken only by papers spread everywhere on the low table, spilling on the floor.

Kyoko immediately began inspecting these.

“Kyoko? Shouldn’t we blind the camera first?”

“Oh, yes, of course. I’m letting you handle it.” she answered, not even pausing her frenetic sheet-browsing for a second.

While doing as I was told, it occurred to me that if we weren’t meant to enter this room, then perhaps the windows weren’t blocked!

Sadly, a gigantic metal plate infirmed my hypothesis.

“I thought maybe the mastermind wouldn’t take care of this windows too, but look like I was wrong.”

“Hum? Did you say something about windows?”

“Yeah, we can’t escape or see thought this windows too.”

“Oh, right ,escape.”

She didn’t look particularly focused on this aspect of our mission right now.

“Well, I feel like you’ve got the inspection part well in hand, so I’m going back to guarding the stairs.”

I wanted to ask her what the deal was with the headmaster, but she was busy right now; maybe I could ask her later.

When she was finished investigating any nook and cranny, she inspected another room(I assumed it was the only one left), then came back to me.

“Was there anything interesting? I didn’t get to see the rooms, what were they?”

“I did find a chemistry lab with various poisons, chemical component and comestible alimentary supplement. No doubt that Monokuma put the poison here to facilitate murders.

Others were aesthetic but not very interesting; a grand room with a piano in it, and an empty “professors office” with a high number of potted flowers in it.

Finally, the two toilets and classrooms were no different from those of any other floors.”

“Okay.Next floor?”

“Right away.”

Going down, we entered the third floor.


	25. Chapter 25

The floor was chessboard like, with black and white squares next to each other, but it was less regular than a game board and some places were devoid of one color or the other.

After finishing my part and while guarding the stairs ,I thought about ways to escape from here that I may I missed.

Maybe Sakura would be strong enough to destroy a part of the wall? I know she failed to break the entrance wooden door,but it had to be reinforced. To try, but that seemed a little too much even for her. Still, I perfectly understood why Monokuma didn’t let her assist us, and that was another motive. Could I convince Monokuma to open the door if some of us stayed here as hostage?

Perhaps add a bet to our current contest where he could kill the hostage if someone took this advantage to flee and abandon us,but let us go if I won? Something dramatic like that?

Nah,Monokuma is a little too unpredictable, that seem way too dangerous, assuming he would even accept. What else could I do?

We had no chemist here to make explosives or very strong acid.

Maybe there was an exit somewhere and that Monokuma thought our the collars should be enough to keep us inside? No, these floors were supposed to be accessible and if Monokuma relied only on the collars and cameras, he wouldn’t have took the time to block all the windows.

He might not have been as careful as if it the only thing keeping us here was the walls, but why would Hope’s Peak academy (and it was even more true if this was just a copy designed by our captor) have a way to exit it without using a door?

What was I hoping to find? A human-sized ventilation? A secret exit for the staff? A condemned room whose walls would be frail and whom exit would be unbarred?

I should consider all of the option, but chance were that I would have to stick with my original plan.

Kyoko came to report her findings.

“I found a recreation room, an art room with hammers and picks in the connected storage room, as well as a strange machine in another room, itself disposing of a storage room. I noticed a small air movement while I was near it ; if it reject air, then it may be used to ventilate something.

Due to how complex it looks, I deduced it may either be an unknown device needing ventilation ,or an air purifier. Also, while there are as usual two classroom adjacent to each others, there are no toilets here.”

“Really? All the other floor have one...”

“Not exactly. The fifth floor lack such accommodation too. While the hammer may prove useful, there seem to be no crucial element which would help our escape.”

I guess it was to be expected.

“Hum, speaking of toilets, will you be fine if I go to the bathroom, now that the cameras are disabled?”

“Not after you said it out loud, no.”

Arrrrrrrgh!

I was so dumb. How could I sabotage the most important part of my…

“Wait, wouldn’t the mastermind see it on the camera if I go in the toilets anyway..?”

“Absolutely.”

“So why….nevermind.” Her smile was telling enough.

“I can go anyway, right?”

“Now that all the cameras are disabled...It will be fine. Go.”

I thanked her and descended the stairs until I reached the first floor.

xxx  
  


“I’m back.”

I’m later that she expected ,I can see it on her face. But she has no reason to point it out.

“What do we do now? Did you thought of anything which may help us?”

“No, I’m afraid not. I will have to inspect the other floors more closely.”

“Oh...was there anything special when you opened it? No trace, no message?”

“Not at all.”

“Okay...in that case, there is something I’d like to ask you that may help us. Can you come?”

“Of course.”

But as I turned ,I felt her fingers draw a symbol on my back.

The X. She wanted to make me understand she found something.

I tensed, but made sure to not give any information to my camera;

I went back to the stair and then to the first floor.

I was pretty sure Kyoko didn’t have the slightest idea as to what I could have found.

She continued to follow me until we arrived to the trash room.

I opened the unlocked gate and stepped inside.

“Hum,can you lend me your notebook?”

She gave it to me,along with a pen.

I wrote something out of the camera’s field of vision.

“What if we put the building in fire? Do you believe the incinerator could do that?”

Vocally, I asked, as a diversion:”So? Do you think what’s inside the incinerator could help us with that?”

She passed the entrance and looked inside the incinerator.

I exited by the gate.

*Clic*

She turned around.

“...What are you doing?”

My hand put the key out of the lock of the gate that I just locked.

xxx

“ _Good morning,Makoto. Aren’t you here a little early?”_

“ _Yes...can I enter?”_

“ _Of course. But why? Do you already miss our last physical interaction?”_

“ _T-this is not about that.”_

_It was actually a lot more serious._

“ _Ah, if this is serious I suppose I shouldn't make you wait.”_

_Psychic._

“ _Welp,I guess I don’t need to say it if you’re psychic.” I said, pretending to turn around and open the door._

“ _Hey! Not fair, Makoto!”_

_I smiled and turned back._

_I took a note book and wrote:_

“ _Be sure to hide this from the camera.This is about Kyoko.”_

_I carefully hid the note,then put the it above her for her to take and read._

_She gasped. Taking a piece of paper and my pen,she wrote:”Did she stole your hearth?Am I no longer your favorite?”_

“ _I just want to have a serious discussion...” I silently lamented._

_But I could tell she was taking me seriously and did her best to relieve me of the tension and make me comfortable._

“ _I don’t know if Kyoko can be trusted and she may be a traitor. If anything was to happen to me in the near future, I’d like you to become the leader. But first, ignore my next message, I will show it to the camera trick the mastermind. But make sure to “warn” me about the camera after reading it.”_

_She stayed motionless during some seconds, before making use of her pen again. I took the paper from her hand to make sure the rooms camera doesn’t register the message._

“ _Ok. What do you need me to do? Can you tell me why Kyoko isn’t reliable?Are you going to be in danger?”_

“ _Kyoko will be the true leader, but I want you to attract the attention and pretend you’re the one._

_And peoples trust you more. I’m sorry for putting you in danger, you can refuse if you want.”_

_Her next message just play along and “warn” me of the camera, her posture voluntarily tense._

_I act a little panicked and turn my head toward the camera before stopping halfway and going back to writing._

“ _Unless the mastermind is a lot more stupid than he seem, I won’t be in danger. As for what you will have to do:_

_If everything go like planned there isn’t a lot to do. My plan is to make the mastermind disable our collars thank to a trick, rushing everyone inside the fridges and putting aluminum collars to keep them inactive, then use fire, Sakura’s strength or something in the other floors to escape. Some minutes after I leave, you will also have to go into Junko’s room and pretend to pick a gun in the drawer, then put back the hair I stuck behind it in its place at the right. “_

_I give her the paper just in case the mastermind decide to interrupt us before writing a new one._

“ _You will also need to immobilize Kyoko by asking the others for help. Take her by surprise, she may have an ace in her sleeve if she is an accomplice. I can’t attract the attention too much on us, so you will have to imagine by yourself what could go wrong and prepare yourself for that. For the proofs, I’m not entirely sure she is with the mastermind, but I may soon be. I need you to trust me.”_

“ _Of course,Makoto. I will do anything for you.”_

_After that, we bantered a few minutes vocally. It helped soothe my nerves for what was coming._

xxx

“I know you’re working for the mastermind.”

She stared back at me with as much shock and betrayal her personality allowed her.

“What? Why would you think this, Makoto?”

Even knowing that she was certainly acting, I couldn’t help but feel nervous...it was normal that she would act like this and play dumb, right?..

“This is serious. We can’t afford to loose any time, or Sayaka will die. Is this what you want?”

“Of course n-..I-I know you’re just trying to distract me.

Because there was never a gun inside the drawer. It was just a way to pressure Monokuma and test you. I also know you lied about the hair. Sayaka placed it at the right ,and even if the mastermind had seen it, they would just replace it where they found it.”

“Makoto, the way you act is worrying. Please put yourself together.”

“I-I’m not acting strangely!”

“Makoto, we don’t have time. You said you were going to escape by putting fire to the building. Do you intend to let me burn here?”

“N-no! Of course no!” I protested.

“Then you will have to let me leave this room.”

I didn’t thought about that. What could I do? Think,think...Ah! There were ropes at the warehouse, surely I could shackle her hands like that...and perhaps her legs too?

But it would be...a little ridiculous and impractical. And I needed everyone to be able to run when we were going to flee. Perhaps I could make a collar and hold her by the rope like a leas-AROUND HER WRIST,OF COURSE,I’M JUST GOING TO USE THE PROTRUDING ROPE AROUND HER **WRIST** .

That’s clearly the obvious choice, and evidently it will just prevent her from escaping.

There is no comparison to be made with any other object.

“I’m going to use a rope to restrain you.”

“So you are going to prevent me from moving? That’s-”

“No,I ’m going to use the cord to stop you from escaping.”

After a second of silence, Kyoko’s expression went even colder.“...You are not planning to use this cord like a leash. Are you,Makoto?”

“I SWEAR I’M NOT!!By the wrist! I’m going to use the extra cord at the wrists!”

Rarely ,in my life, did words leave my mouth at this speed .

“Makoto,we don’t have time for this. You need me to escape! I have a weapon. I am not a traitor!Please ,believe in me!”

“If you really have a gun, then show it to me.”

While speaking, I realized something.

“Else, you would already have used it to force me to free you!”

“Very well. I will show you.”

What?

She opened the bag and I approached instinctively then froze.

With an incredible speed ,Kyoko threw herself toward me, her arms going trough the gate and reaching for mine.

By pure reflex, I jolted away from her. Half a second before the impact, I realize she will catch me and I blink.

But when I open my eyes, her hand is a few millimeters short.  
Recovering from the shock, I couldn’t believe my luck finally turned good for once.

Still, after a few seconds spent thinking about how react and what to say, I fled the room and ran toward the warehouse.

For some reasons, as I ran away from the person I once thought was a friend, I felt my eyes stinging a little and fought to not wipe them with my sleeve.

Kyoko was left behind. If Makoto could have seen her, she would have realized her expression, already normally cold, was hard as steel, her eyes avoiding the space he occupied before.

xxx

_Makoto went to the first floor. Once arrived,he rushed to Hifumi’s room. He hoped the key of the trash disposal room would still be here. After finding the metallic object, he made sure to check if the gate of said place was unlocked and upon discovering it was, rectified this._

“ _ **What is your plan to escape?”**_

“ _ **I don’t know if I can tell you.”**_

“ _ **I am qualified to help you with it. You can ask Taka if you do not believe me.”**_

“ _ **A weapon? I hope you’re talking about a firearm.”**_

“ _ **Yes. I found it, hidden inside the room of “Junko.” [...]**_

“ _ **You should rather wait for your collar to be neutralized. The headmaster will take some time to intervene and he could trigger the collar if he found out the gun.”**_

“ _ **Oh,good idea.”**_

“ _ **And do you even know how to fire a gun?”**_

“ _ **Not really. You just have to aim and press the trigger, right?”**_

“ _ **...I will pretend I didn’t hear this ,and you will let me take the gun.”**_

“ _ **I want to try and see if the fridges can interrupt the collars signals. But I need Monokuma to deactivate my collar first to not blow up,at least if the absence of signal trigger it.**_

_**With a bit of luck,it will vibrate or beep before exploding and I will have the time to go out of the fridge;** **that way the mastermind would avoid loosing us by mistake if our signal was to be interrupted.**_

“ _ **It should be sufficient.”**_

_Kyoko was a detective. But even when recognized me as trustworthy enough to help,she didn’t tell it to me. She never called out my weak,f ake plan. She insisted for taking the gun._

_She prevented me from entering the rooms._

_And although she apparently didn’t care to hide it, her interest in the headmaster, whom has every reason to be linked to our situation and could even be the mastermind, is suspect._

_Why would a detective be allowed inside the game in the first place?_

_After all, the mastermind knew all about this, and a detective had all chance of finding a way to detract the game or think of an escape plan._

_Then it had occurred to me: because the game needed a detective. In order to make the threat of executing everyone in case of failure without having to actually apply it, the crime had to be solved each time._

_But it still wasn’t a perfect solution; even ultimate detectives can be wrong, and like I said the detective could find away to escape or refuse to cooperate._

_So wouldn’t it be far more convenient if the detective was an accomplice?_

_A detective accomplice could be given the blackened identity straight from Monokuma and use their talent as a cover for their ability to solve any crime, or even lead the rest of the class to a wrong conclusion if needed. They could spot any attempt to fight back against the game, any hidden scheme. Even better, their abilities would inspire trust from the more naives of the student,and their skills would make them the first person anyone would seek help from when planning an escape._


	26. Chapter 26

I reached the warehouse, out of breath.  
Barely stopping to take it back, I looked for ropes, fully concentrated on my task.  
My face felt hard yet ready to break at any moment. But I wasn’t focusing on that.  
Here it is. I rolled it and used both of my arms to carry it.  
Was there anything else to take? No. Yes.   
I went into the dining hall, then the kitchen.   
The object I was searching for quickly caught my attention.  
Dropping the rope, I put the sword out of it’s sheath, gold sticking on my hand.  
…  
After a moment of hesitation, I took one of the kitchen knives, and hid it on me.  
I tried to think of something else to fetch, but nothing came to mind.   
I had to go back to the incinerator’s room now.  
Picking up the rope and putting it on my shoulder, I somehow managed to stuck the sheath on my pant. I walked the hallways, forcing myself to feel nothing. I shouldn’t be that affected.  
When I arrived, I more or less regained the control of my emotion.  
I took a big breath and entered the room.  
“Please, give me your wrists.”  
“I see no reason to cooperate. You can’t light the fire if you do not free me after.”  
“Why would you want to stay here if I’m going to start a fire?!Just let me handcuff you, please!”  
“Makoto,You’re not going to do it until I’m freed. Your only option is to let let me out of this place,and I am not going to let you restrain me when my help is needed.”  
I was shocked by her shameless insinuation of her innocence.  
“You tried to attack me!” I almost screamed.  
“I just wanted to force you to free me.” she retorted, impassible.  
“Because you’re the traitor! Why else would you lie about the gun?”  
“...You’re right. I lied to you about that, and it was a mistake on my part. I should have trusted you.  
But it was only because I didn’t know how to communicate it to you while still deceiving the mastermind .”  
“Deceive the mastermind?”  
“If I let the mastermind know that we had no weapons...then they would interfere for sure.  
I couldn’t take the sightliest risk. Please, try to understand.”  
“W-what? T-that’s impossible! You said that the hair was at the left, when I asked Sayaka to put it on the right! Why would say that if you weren’t lying to me?”  
“Because any discrepancy between what you said to me and what I reported would embolden the mastermind and make him think we are not in possession of the weapon.”  
“I...I would just have told you the truth after! There was no need to lie so suspiciously!”  
“How could I have known this? And why would I want you to admit in front of Monokuma that we do not have a weapon?”  
“...” I was lost. I knew I was right. I Knew it! But then...why couldn’t I find a fault in her reasoning? Was it possible that I just...didn’t consider this possibility?..And if yes...what have I done?  
“Do you understand now? I’m sorry for withholding the truth from you. But everything I did was to persuade the mastermind to leave us alo-”  
“No, that’s wrong!”   
Kyoko impassible mask shattered for a second, a determination that I only felt during trial surging trough my hearth.  
“If you knew someone came, then why would you think the mastermind wouldn’t be aware of that?  
And how would you bluff the mastermind when the simple fact of hinting that you have the weapon would give away the fact that you are probably bluffing?“  
“Because the mastermind wouldn’t know if the person who “stole” the gun was an accomplice sent to muddy the water or not.” answered Kyoko, imperturbable.  
”And it wouldn’t be surprising,”she continued,“if I didn’t thought the mastermind knew about the gun. The masquerade may seem obvious to you in hindsight, but I assure you that if you were the one behind the camera, it would not be, especially when you consider getting shot is one of the only way for them to loose.”   
“Then how do you explain that the mastermind went and searched in the drawer the same day I told you about it?”  
“You discussed of it with Sayaka,was it not? Can you affirm with certainty that there were no hidden camera which would have captured one of your messages? That at no point your camera pointed on our written discussion? That when you sent Sayaka, this did not attract the mastermind attention?”  
The two first points were pretty shaky, but the third one...I didn’t thought about it.  
“...Why didn’t you tell me after? You could have given me a message after visiting a room, and it wouldn’t be suspicious. Why didn’t you do it?”  
“...”  
Kyoko lowered her eyelids.  
“Very well.”  
Her eyes now open, she continued.  
“This wasn’t the real motive for my attempt to fool you. The real reason was treason. But not mine. Yours. I believe your are a traitor, Makoto Naegi.”   
“...”   
I was speechless. Everything pointed out to her being an accomplice, not me!  
Why would she even think something like that?  
Voice laced with disbelief, I asked: “What? But one minute before, you were giving me another explanation as to why you lied about this. You’re far more suspect than I am. How am I supposed to believe your explanation?”  
“Why are you here?”  
What?  
“I-I don’t understand. I’ve been randomly selected as the Ultimate Normal Student.”  
“Then how come none of the peoples I asked ever heard about it?”  
Now she was just making things up!  
“You asked to the others?”  
“Yes. Sayaka, Celestia, Ishimaru, Byakuya...I asked every one of them. But none were aware that a normal student was supposed to be here, much less selected by a lottery. They only knew that a certain Makoto Naegi, with an undisclosed talent, would join their class.”  
It was true that the letter adorned with the Hope’s Peak seal instructed me to stay silent about it.   
At the time, I was too dazed by this event and never felt like I fully apprehended how important and amazing it was going to be to think too much about it, even several day after opening it.  
I assumed it was just to avoid attracting hordes of journalist who would want to interview me, peoples desperate to take my place who would try to buy it, or even jealous students who may have discharged themselves of their frustrations on my person.  
Later, when I called the academy with the number on the letter to confirm it, I was told it was secret for now and would be revealed on entrance day.   
But they also told me that my soon-to-be comrades would be informed of my presence.  
So that made me wary of Kyoko’s claim. Though now that I think about it, it was never specified if they would know about why I am here. And if they wanted to keep everything secret, they would have no interest in giving away my name and appearance.  
“Like the person who replaced Junko Enoshima, the fact that you do not have a talent is suspicious.   
It would allow the mastermind to add another accomplice into the game without having to enroll an Ultimate. Furthermore, another detail aroused my suspicion. How is it possible that you are both the Ultimate Normal Student and the Ultimate Lucky Student? Unless you deny possessing this second title. ”  
“No, you’re right, but...hey ,how did you know, without your memory? Did you ask Sayaka?”  
“Byakuya was the one who told me. He was apparently privy to some confidential information, including the name of the expected Lucky Student. He only knew his name: Makoto Naegi.”  
Midway during her explanation, she put her fist under her chin and adopted a more pensive expression.  
“However, he informed me that it was not an official source; the identity of the contact was unknown, and while he claimed to be employed by Hope’s Peak academy, they refused to show his identity by fear of being fired and sued. They also couldn’t provide any photo or any tangible proof that anything they said was the truth.  
This led me to an hypothesis: what if “Makoto Naegi” wasn’t the true winner of the lottery, but one of the accomplice of Monokuma, voluntarily sending Byakuya fake information to seem more trustworthy once the killing game would begin? And what if the cancellation of the adoption of an Ultimate Lucky Student in the academy forced said accomplice to find another pretext for its presence? A pretext which would be coherent with the schools affirmation that another student with an undisclosed talent would be here, despite the fact that he wasn’t an Ultimate?”  
Putting a finger on her cheek and looking at me in the eyes before diverting them to my left for a second, she resumed:  
“This is only one of the evidences I found. While in appearance all your actions opposed the mastermind’s plan, the simple fact that three attempted murders occurred in a few days show that they are not that much efficient. Even without your help, I have a hard time believing no one would have thought of staying in group and taking cautionary measures. Kyotaka, Byakuya,myself… we are all likely candidate to replace you, and it’s even possible we would adopt a harsher stance while doing it. This could have avoided both Sayaka’s and Sakura’s murder attempts.  
And finally...you are the leader of our group. You are well-liked, obeyed and everyone let you take the initiatives. If you weren’t, it would be less risked to turn a blind eye to these suspicious coincidences, but in this case...”  
Captivated by her reasoning, I was focused on trying to detect any lie or contradiction.  
“So I investigated. A little time before the lockdown, I went into Junko’s room and pretended to search for an evidence of Junko’s identity. When I seen that the drawer was empty...it only reinforced my suspicions. I thought your plan was only a false hope orchestrated by the mastermind, in order to destroy our morale and entertain themselves or a potential public.   
I also found it strange that the mastermind would be willing to disable your collar, even after you enacted your true plan.”  
…  
“Please, will you trust me?”  
“...”  
“Makoto? We need to act quickly. If you want, I can continue to argue for my in-”  
“Okay.”  
For the first time, I experienced the sight of a surprised Kyoko, her eyes slightly widening, her hand on her heart.  
“Really?”  
“I’m too confused to say with certainty that you’re innocent. But you’re right that I didn’t thought about that. And...I want to believe in you. You’ve helped me...No, all of us, numerous time, and I want to think you’re going to do it once again.”  
I shyly smiled.  
“So, if you do longer think I am an accomplice-do you?”   
She hesitated a little before answering “...I do not. I was confused when you accused me of being an accomplice and wanted you to admit your treason; after all, you locking me up looked like an admission of your intentions. But once you showed me that you were really accusing me of being the mastermind’s accomplice, I envisaged the option that I was wrong. I wouldn’t have lost time defending myself if I didn’t. “  
“Thank you a lot. But can I ask you to just let me bind one of your wrist and keep a hold on the protruding cord? Just for self-defense, I won’t interfere with your investigation and I will let go of it as soon as the mastermind arrive. Are you okay with that?”  
She silently and quickly deliberated: “This is fine.”  
“Ok, then I will...wait, I can’t tie us while you’re behind the bars. Hum, I guess I will just bind you to the bar for now.”  
With some help and tips from her part, I tied the knot, letting her around twenty centimeters of slack, while still keeping several meters of rope on the other side for me to take a hold off. I then unlocked and opened the gate, now ready to proceed to the second step.  
“Can I undo the knot on the bar, now?” she asked.  
“Well, first, you will need to answer this question: if you thought I was the mastermind and tried to make it look like we weren’t finding a way to escape, why did you signal me otherwise when you traced a X on my back, like you said you would?”


	27. Chapter 27

“If you thought I was the mastermind and tried to make it looks like we weren’t finding a way to escape, why did you signal me otherwise when you traced an X on my back, like you said you would?”  
“I...Makoto,what do you think you are doing? Unbind me.”  
Her voice was full of authority, but it didn’t make me free her the first time, and it wouldn’t this time either.  
“Why did you use the signal signalling that you found something interesting if you wanted the mastermind to think we hadn’t?”  
“...”  
It was rare to see Kyoko not answering something not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t.  
“Do you admit-”  
“It was to keep you from acting on your own. It would have pushed the mastermind to intervene.”  
“...you said you thought I was the mastermind. And couldn’t you just write a message on a paper?”  
“...”  
At that moment, it was clear that even her didn’t believe she could fool me.  
I could have asked her why she pretended to have a gun if I was the mastermind, but she probably would have answered that she acted like she didn’t knew I was the mastermind to avoid suspicion, or that she did it to confuse me and gauge my reaction, and I didn’t have time for this.  
Either she tried to play the clock and wait for help, she didn’t want to admit because of personal preference, she was betting on me or someone else believing her by using the “deny,deny,deny” strategy, or she had a good reason to continue denying. Could it be that she was doing this just to be sure the mastermind wouldn’t be using a potential leverage on her?  
I wasn’t too worried about the first option. I mean, I still was, but...I believed the mastermind wouldn’t intervene.  
After all, he would have no interest to kill me. I was their hostage, and they’d rather keep me alive for a future killing game.   
Of course, maybe me burning the building would be enough of a hindrance for them to want to stop me. But it would be too obvious for the others if I died that it was the masterminds fault’s.  
...unless he asked Kyoko to pretend I hurt myself. Would...would they buy it? How would she justify my absence? With a broken leg? No, wait, Sayaka was here! Even if they didn’t believe Sayaka,they would at least demand proofs.   
There is also the possibility of her simply restraining me.   
That way, it would be harder for me to prove that the mastermind interfered.  
Sure, they were technically allowed to do it, but there was almost no way the others would accept this.   
Wait...did it matter? Even if the mastermind ostensibly cheated in front of the others, would it have any negative effect for our captor?   
In the heat of the moment, I took the chance of gaining the advantage over the mastermind with my secret knowledge of Kyoko’s treachery, but will win this trial really help me that much?  
We had no mean of pressure to force the mastermind to hold his word, and I already know they don’t tend to follow their promises...we’ve seen as much during the first trial.  
But what could I possibly do?   
I was lucky that the mastermind didn’t try to attack me during my conversation with Kyoko.  
It was probably because it wasn’t sure at this point if she was going to weasel her way out of this.  
So I had to act fast. Go search the other, create an ambush in the stairs, fetch the weapons in the kitchen, light the fire to separate the mastermind from us.  
“I won’t let you bind me.”  
Her voice was devoid of emotions.  
“What? But...”  
Regretfully, I took hold of the golden sword.  
Emptying my lungs, I warned her.“I will have to force you if you don’t cooperate.”  
“I don’t think you have the luxury to loose your time carrying me, or to hold something else than a weapon.”  
Shit. Should I take her with me anyway?  
I wanted to go warn the others in the top floor quickly and lead them somewhere safe from the fire.  
Letting her handcuffed to the gate would probably be more safe and quick for me...but was I sure she would still be here when I would come back? Instinctively, I felt like a detective like her would be good with rope...good with untying knots, I mean, and the mastermind could go untie her themselves… maybe not if they were in one of the locked room if the fifth or sixth floor, but still a risk, and they may very well have access to a secret passage for all I knew.  
I didn’t want the mastermind to have any ally, and beside...how did I knew that Kyoko wasn’t blackmailed by the mastermind, like Sakura? Even if she was willingly obeying her, then may be because of brainwashing or something like that. We could bring her help once we escape outside.  
The other option, then… bring her, unconscious, with me, make sure to not let her hit or disarm me if she was to recover conscience, and hope that the mastermind wouldn’t interfere during this time, because I certainly wouldn’t be able to keep theem from freeing her.  
And deep within me, I just knew that I had no hope in winning against Kyoko in a fight without at least a firearm, my guts told me so. Even with a firearm, I wasn’t sure I would win honestly...  
The choice was clear. I had no time for this. I planned to block the mastermind anyway so they wouldn’t be able to free Kyoko, and if she found the time to untie herself before I came back then the mastermind would probably already hold us at gunpoint at this point.  
I ran.  
I quickly went upstairs to gather everyone, inform them of Kyoko’s betrayal (though Sayaka was already tasked with it) and bring everyone in the pool once we were safe from the mastermind.  
My worst fear was that the floor would collapse or that the smoke would begin to choke us.  
We would have to retreat at the first floor in the room with the strange machine Kyoko guessed was ventilation-related(could I really trust this information?) in the second case and hope that we wouldn’t end up stuck and surrounded by fire in whatever room was below the pool in the first.  
Of course, it could be bothersome if the bindi-ah,I was arrived.  
Just when I arrived at the last floor, the microphone made its unwelcome voice heard again:  
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”  
“I’m going to explain my plan to them and put them in a safe place, that’s all.”  
“You should never seek help after your friend, didn’t you know? Friendship is dark magic, and this is especially true when you promised a bear holding the button controlling your death collar to NOT use the help of anyone else when finding a way out!”  
“What?!I just want to talk to them and lead them elsewhere! This has nothing to do with- ”  
“Puhuhuhuhu! Will this help you with making your escape?”  
“Well,yes,but...”   
“Does this require the presence of your friends?”  
“...”  
“Then it IS help! You will have to do without it! I mean, if you’re okay with the prospect of possibly killing all of your friend in a fire just to get rid of your collar...that would be despairingly funny!  
Though I guess that they technically wouldn’t be locked up in this school, since they wouldn’t exist anymore . Hahaha!”  
Panicking, I tried to find a solution to that.  
I needed to find a way to separate us from the mastermind, maybe by putting fire to the stairs after leading the class elsewhere...but with Monokuma forbidding me to do that, it would be complicated.  
And I’m not even talking about the danger of not having access to the ventilation or the pool.  
The only reason the others were not trying to escape now was because they knew it would lead to my death, and the hope that Monokuma would keep his promise to let them leave.  
If I lost, they may prefer to give up on their promise and leave anyway.  
But I was pretty sure Monokuma’s promise was only made because the mastermind was certain I would fail, with Kyoko as a their accomplice free to sabotage our investigation.  
If I succeeded, then while I could... threaten to kill myself instead of participating in another killing game, and while the rest of the class would lose any trust in Monokuma as well as in his promise of liberty, it is doubtful that the mastermind would allow us to escape.  
...if I wanted my friends to escape, I needed to make them leave this room.  
There was no point in creating an exit with the fire to meet with them “legally” because the mastermind had no interest in keeping their promises and would just take the opportunity to neutralize me and stop the fire.  
I had no choice.  
Taking a deep breath and seeking every ounce of courage I possessed, I forced myself to be calm.  
I opened my eyes, and turned around...before rushing for the door and kicking it open.  
“Everyone! Ambush the mastermind at the entrance of the third floor and use fire to destroy the walls!”  
Then my brain analysed the signals that my eyes where sending him.  
And I realized several things.  
First, there was another person in the room, wearing a strange wrestling-like mask with a big grin and large eyes.  
Two, Sayaka was pointing a gun on them.  
Three, she was wearing Monokuma’s collar.  
And four, judging by the Monokuma’s symbol on the top…  
This person may very well be the mastermind.


	28. Chapter 28

“W-what?”

The masked person turned toward me. I noticed a microphone in its hand… a hand with long red nails.

“Upupupu! Back already? I’m pretty sure I told you 5,38 seconds ago that you couldn’t ask any help to your classmates! Welp, you still didn’t...for now! Better be careful here! ”

The voice was very feminine, and both energetic and happy yet disturbing and ominously malicious. It felt slightly familiar, but at the same time very distorted. It was like she was purposefully deforming her own voice. Perhaps to keep her identity secret?

“What is going on?!Why the collar on Sayaka?!”

Sayaka answered, her collar now visible again around her neck:”I-”

“Uuuggh,stop ignoring me!” complained Monokuma.

“Luckily for you, you didn’t _explicitly_ asked the help of your subversive classmates, so I’ll be lenient this time and assume you were asking for my help. Which, in my bear-like indulgence,I will give you!”

“You’re not even Monokuma right now...” I whispered.

“So,” continued the instigator of this killing game, ignoring me, “after you left, I proposed a little deal to your class, and the Ultimate Pop Sensation took the lead and happily agreed to it!

I would require  one person in the  class to wear their collar again, and in compensation I would come here and give  you  one weapon. That way,  I would be forced to let you go if you win, if I didn’t want to become gruyère-man, the most hole-riddled human in history. 

A nd if you lost, then  I  could just force again Makoto to put a collar to save Sayaka.”

“I will not let this happen a second time.” seethed Sayaka, her voice barely above a whisper.

I t both warmed my hearth and made me very worried about her, but I didn’t let this distract me.

“...Do you have any proof that you are the mastermind?”

“I have a Monokuma symbol on my head! What more proof do you need?!”

“You could just be an accomplice!”

“Fine, fine...your precious classmates and your most precious classmate in particular already brought this point anyway, and while I can’t prove I’m the mastermind, here’s what I say

E ven if  I was n’t  the  mastermind,  if you were to won,  the true one  would still have to take  ten of you armed with a gun.

I have no proof that there isn’t a lot more armed accomplice that would stop us anyway, but if that was the case...we would be screwed anyway, isn’t it? And I can’t believe that a lot of peoples would be up with doing something so psychopathic and evil. Plus, the mastermind probably would have to stay secretive about it, they couldn’t just ask random persons until finding the right ones...”

That was a sound reasoning.

“….And if you lost and tried to escape anyway, full of fury, they would have no choice but to exteriorise their fury by trying to kill you anyway. Hey, maybe they would succeed at taking down the one of you who are armed and force the others to put their collars again!”

It...seemed like a working deal. Since we had no way of trusting any promise he made or the contrary, he was making  us  play a game of “chicken”, with the winner in a favourable psychological position  despite the lack of material reward to the contest.

“Considering I would have no reason to keep you alive without this little arrangement even if you won, and that you persist in not trusting your adorable headmaster, it sure looked like it was reasonable to accept. If I was in Sayaka’s place, I would have accepted too, because I would never refuse a deal coming from someone who is both charismatic, and me.

Too bad this ended up totally sabotaging your plan instead. Hahahahah a !”

Sayaka looked down, ashamed.

“I’m sorry, Makoto...I thought...I thought that Monokuma would never respect his part of the contract without this. And since I was both confident in your victory due t-...because I trust you, and believed that the mastermind was only proposing us this deal because he esteemed her defeat impossible...b-but, you found an exit, right? The mastermind will have to let us go, am I wrong?”

It was strange...why did the self-declared “mastermind” wait before doing this deal?

I reassured her, trying to appear confident,

“Don’t worry, I found a way to escape. I just need a little time to prepare it.”

I almost asked her my next question directly before getting a hold of myself.

“Monokuma, why did you wait for me to leave before proposing the deal?”

“Well, nothing is better than the despair of betraying your friend because of your incompetence, isn’t it Sayaka? And sneaky like you are, I’m sure you would have tried to exploit this or something.

What an ill-behaved student, using the benevolence of his kind yet sadistic headmaster against her.”

“And...when did you come?”

“Confidential! This stuff is like tax return of candidates or official report on public health and foreign interference, it is best hidden from the public, for their own security of course. We’re like a small, eleven-person nation. And a nation isn't really a nation if the citizen are distrusting the government, so what better solution to this problem than leaving them no choice? If you still don’t like forcing peoples to have a certain opinion, keep in mind that making the report would force people to distrust us, which would be as bad! Did I mention I plan to run as candidate in the next elections? I already have a slogan:”Shill!Bills!Kills!””

Ignoring the mastermind’s babbling, I worried about the implication of what Monokum-the mastermind...the potential mastermind said.

She couldn’t possibly have come after I uncovered Kyoko, would she? That would be totally counterproductive. Beside, even if this was the case, why not just lie about it instead of this suspicious answer?...did she fear the reaction of surprise of the other students, or even voluntary help from their part? Though I’m pretty sure it would be considered help and punished...well, it may be a little hard without collar...but did they fear retribution if the mastermind won?

“Well, I’m going to go back to light the fire.” I said, hoping to put an end to this stressful situation.

“Light a fire? What do thou intend to do?” asked Sakura.

“No need for that! For you see, it was prophetized long ago. Let me explain the origin of this fateful secret that only some privileged of this world still know... In the year of grace 1550,at the middle of the longest night of the year, the Great Prophet Nostrodamus was watching the sky. Suddenly, a meteor pass-”

“What’s you point?!” I almost screamed, feeling my patience come short.

“Whoa, whoa! I’m not sure I want to explain the prophecy to someone so disrespectful of the eminent Michel de Nostre-Dame...”

“I don’t care about this prophecy! I care about what you really mean!”

“Fiiiiiine! What I was trying to say, is that I recognize your escape. I am, after all a very impatient bear.”

Why is she still pretending to...ughhh.

Wait, what?

“So...you recognize I won? We...we’re free to leave?”

“Of course you’re free to leave!” she answered in a smiling voice.

I almost couldn’t believe it. The tense atmosphere was almost entirely replaced by a far more hopeful one.

“We...we can leave?” asked Sayaka, eyes wide open and disbelief in her voice.

“I can...I can go and see my bandmates again?”

One might have expected her to be a little fearful of their reunion considering what she would have to take responsibility for, considering that her friend may very well know what she showed she was capable of. But right now, none of this ominous future could be detected in her voice or in her eyes.

“Wait...really? Hell yeah! I oughta make sure none of the guy did somethin’ stupid while I wasn’t here!” rejoiced Mondo.

“So my divination were right after all! I can’t wait to go see my mom,it’s been a long time. I always wanted to but never found the time to travel. Will have to regain my reflex of loan-shark master escapee soon though...” reflected Hiro.

Taka too participated to the joyful mayhem with his boisterous voice.“Excellent!Makoto,I knew I could count on you! I will be sure to make an official letter of recommendation for you as soon as we leave this misused school. Now,Monokuma,unhand us at once!”

I heard the girl I liked whisper a thanks to me.“I probably don’t deserved the promise you made, but I knew you would hold it...Thank you,Makoto...”

I wanted to believe it was true,but...could it really be that simple? Was the girl really the mastermind, and not just an accomplice? Wasn’t the masked girl going to use something else, like the hostages, to keep us here? Come to think about it, she never used the hostages as a mean of pressure during this killing game, even once.

“You could, but you woooon’t!”

Everyone immediately turned toward the mastermind.

“But...you said...”

“I know, I know! But I technically never promised to not use the bomb I have on me to blow you to smithereens!”

As she spoke, she put a hand at the level of her waist and pressed.

What?

Sayaka immediately pointed her weapon on the masked figure...well, she already was before, but she did it with renewed vigour and with both aggressivity and focus on her expression.

“Whoa! Careful with this miss! You could hurt somebody accidentally, or even voluntarily, with this thing! And I would go “bleh”,and my hand would go “slip”, and the bomb would go “boom”,and you would go...well, you wouldn’t made any sound since you would all be dead, but you get my point!”

Sayaka’s eyes narrowed but she didn’t question the last affirmation.

However, she still had something to say.

“Maybe we can’t kill you right now. But you can’t prevent us from escaping anymore. And I will still kill you as soon as we’re far enough from you, you fuckin-”

“S-sayaka, I don’t think we should threaten her while she has a bomb. And if she feel like she is going to die anyway, she may do something...reckless. Our lives are worth more than vengeance, right?”

Shame briefly replaced hate on her face.

“...Yes, of course, sorry for that Makoto...”

But contempt and disgust returned when she threw a heinous gaze at the mastermind...though if she was willing to lay down her life, she was probably just an accomplice. A crazy one.

“Fine. Stay into this room and we won’t be able to kill you without being injured by the explosion.

You’re lucky we’re not willing to put ourselves in danger to kill you…”

But as she was speaking,Junko put herself in front of the door.

This visibly irked Sayaka.

“...What are you doing? Get out of our way.”

“Mmmm...nah!” the girl answered, ominous positivity dripping from her voice.

I didn’t expect that.“W-what?”

Sakura voice grumbled. “While Sayaka may not shoot you without danger, either I or Mondo could easily force you to leave your position. Your action is pointless.”

“Way to treat your old boss!” taunted the masked figure.

“But you misunderstand my intentions. If any of you do as much touch me…

Then I will release the bomb and it will explode! Upupupupu!”

“What? No way!” panicked Hiro.

“Lie. You’re just desperate now that your plan failed thank to Makoto.”

She sent a small smile my way before resuming her threatening attitude.

I blushed a little despite the whiplash. My plan didn’t really work after all, and it wasn’t very complicated. I just got lucky.

Byakuya added his grain of salt.“I hope your understand that we have no reason whatsoever to think your affirmation is anything more than a pathetic bluff.” But he wasn’t as contemptuous as normal.  
It sounded more like...he was expecting something?

“Why do you always doubt-ahhh,I guess you have some reasons to not trust me now.”

“We never had a reason to trust you!” whined Hiro.

“So let me give you a proof!” she triumphally said.

She put her arm behind her back.

“Don’t move!” screamed Sayaka.

“Not a motion or we will have to use lethal force!” authoritatively said Taka.

The girl exploded in laughter.

“Reeeelax! I promise you that firing on me is much more dangerous than letting me do whatever I’m going to do next. But I guess that’s the idol industry for you: all skin and no brain!

Now, watch!”

Before anybody could do anything, Junko showed the huge revolver she had hidden under her gown.

Sayaka’s hands crisped around her gun and even Taka face paled a little.

Junko then slid a bullet in her weapon, rotated the chamber...and pointed it at her own head.

“Ready for the demonstration?” she cheerfully asked.

“W-what are you doing? Russian roulette is not welcome in a school environment! Stop this at once and discard this weapon!”

“What are you whining for? You tell me to prove I’m not bluffing, I prove I’m not bluffing!”

“Stop this!” I said, seeing very clearly what she planned to do.

“She is just bluffing!” said Sayaka a little too loudly. She know she lost!”

“We...we cannot negotiate with terrorist. Sayaka is surely right.” asserted Taka.

“Aw, I hoped it would be sufficient. If I had known, I wouldn’t have taken so much risk. After all, one-in-six chance to end the killing game, and by killing the best, sexiest and brightest person in the universe, is a terrible prospect. Despairful, even. But...what’s even the point of a plan if you know everything will go as planned?”

“Wh-what do you want in the end? I don’t understand!” asked Hiro, panicked.

“I already told you. Despair.” For this last word, her cheerful tone suddenly dropped, replaced by a total lack of emotion or positivity.

That was already what she told us when we first gathered in the gym, at the very beginning of this imprisonment. But was that really the truth? Given the senselessness of what she forced us to do and the unwarranted sadism the mastermind showed, I certainly couldn’t discard this possibility.

But before I could ponder anymore the objective of the mastermind and the girl, she enunciated a short “Well, just in case, Sayonara!” before putting the revolver on her temple.

I panicked.“Wait!”

“You’re bluffing...” repeated Sayaka.

“We will not abide by your ridiculous demands! And you will this game your try to present as an evidence!”

Hiro mumbled something about a reading that was “messed up”,and even Asahina participated.“Y-yeah! We won’t give up! We have to persevere,I just feel it in my g-”

*Click*

...Click?

Ohmygod.

Everyone face went white.

“D-did ya just...” asked Mondo.

“...”Sayaka stayed quiet.

“Ahaha! I see now! This wasn’t a real bullet!” declared Taka, sweat on, his face. That’s why you were so confi-”

*BANG*


	29. Chapter 29

*BANG*  
A small strand of black hair fell to the ground, and a small bullet hole appeared on the wall behind Kyotaka.  
“Nooooope! Ah, I’m so glad I get to continue playing with you! Yepeeee!”  
Kyotaka stayed silent and looked like he was bugged, sweat even more apparent than before.  
I had a bad feeling about the masked girl’s threat, but the logical part of me still didn’t understand how she could so casually bet her life like that.   
But I also had to admit that it was impossible for her to rig this. The bullet was real, and she couldn't possibly have controlled the rotation of the gun, she did it under our eyes and turned far too quickly. So the answer was obvious, and should have been since the very beginning: this person was truly insane and ready to do anything to reach their goals, with no hint of shame or doubt.  
Still, what just happened irked me, for some reason. I felt like I was overlooking something.  
“Do you want me to do it again or are you still unconvinced?” asked the psychopathic girl, not a trace of worry in her voice.  
“W-we’re convinced! Please, don’t do it again!” I pleaded, while looking around in search for support.  
Fortunately, everyone seemed to agree with me. Even Sayaka looked shaken.  
“Yeah! No more shouting! I have a phobia of gunshot, you know that? And of bombs! And of anything that will probably result in my death, in general!”   
Yasuhiro was NOT taking this well. He was probably the most nervous out of us all.  
“What do thou want from us, fiend?” asked Sakura in a controlled but deadly serious voice.  
“What I want is very simple! I want half of you to wear a collar again, and to continue the killing game!”  
No...Were we really going to go back to this point? All I did...was for nothing?  
“There’s no way I will accept that!” refused Yasuhiro.  
“What? There gotta be another way out of this!Right, Sayaka and Makoto?” asked Mondo.  
“...Why would we agree to this? We’re just gonna die in the end if we accept.”  
“How would thou even do a killing game if only half of the student have a collar? Thou can’t execute them without it, nor monitor their actions.”   
“Don’t worry about it, miss! Though your preoccupation with the success of this killing game is hearthwarming. ” answered the psychopath.   
“And what assurance do we have that you won’t just lock us here forever or kill us yourself after a while?” I asked.  
“If the game stop being fun, I will stop playing it. I won’t put my life in danger to kill yo in a boring way. You just have to refuse to kill anyone, and eventually I will get bored and give up. And I grow bored QUICKLY.   
As for how I will do it, well, I appreciate seeing that you’re worried about me, darling, but don’t worry I will manage. “  
“I have trouble believing you will not create new motives in the future to force us to comply with your petty game.” snorted Byakuya.  
“It because I’m gonna do it! There will be a lot of sweet bonus for the peoples willing to help me keep this game running out of the kindness of their hearth, and because they like sweet bonus. But dont’cha worry, I won’t threaten to kill anyone, and I will cut some slack to the peoples without collars. If you’re not happy how things proceed in the future, you can still grab your gun and try to escape at your own risk and peril.”  
“We get to keep the weapon?” asked Sayaka.  
“Of course! If I don’t tell you to give them back to me, then you can keep them! It’s just the kind of bear I am!”  
“Shut the hell up.” grumbled Sayaka.  
“What do we do? I want to keep fighting, but...” asked Asahina. She was trying to hide it, but it was easy to spot her discouragement and tiredness.  
“Maybe we should first see if there are volunteers...”I said. “I’m not comfortable with forcing anyone, but if enough peoples accept this of their own initiative…then I will be okay with wearing a collar too.”  
I looked a lot more confident than I really was at the prospect of putting myself at the mercy of our captors, or at least I hoped so.  
“What? No, please, don’t...” pleaded Sayaka.  
“That sound like a great idea!“said our masked enemy, completely disregarding Sayaka’s plea.. “In fact, this is so great, I’m making it mandatory! Every collar-wearer must do so of it’s own will. Although it would be funny to see your group implode as you fight each other, it’s not how this game is meant to be played, and I would be ashamed if you were to hurt each other!”  
“If we agree with Monokuma’s deal, then I am ready to wear a collar. This is the least I can do to atone for my treason.” said the fighter.  
“Y-you don’t have to do that,Sakura….” pleaded Asahina.  
“I am sorry,Hina. But this is my decision and I will stick by it.”  
“Then...I’m going to do it too! I will never leave your side ,Sakura! We’re in this together!”  
Her decision to show courage and follow Sakura apparently cheered her up, despite the grimness of the situation and the dangerosity of this decision.  
“Hina...are you sure of this? I do not want you to regret it in the future or feel obligated to do as I did...”  
“Yup. One hundred percent sure! I’m gonna stay, and I’m gonna sure we’re still all here when leave.”  
“….You’re very brave and kind, Hina. I will respect your decision, and also...thank you.”  
Sakura was probably very worried about Asahina,yet a small smile graced her lips.   
“As the Ultimate Moral Compass, I have to congratulate your decisions, and am even more obliged to help you with it! I, it go without saying, volunteer for wearing a collar!”  
“Ghhh…are you sure, Bro? I’m sure there will be enough volunteers like that. Nothin’ good will come from alowin’ that fuckin’ psychopath to kill you at any moment.”  
Kyotaka probably considered the mere thought of not volunteering to insulting to answer, because he just ignored Mondo.  
“Ahh, fuck it! I’m not a coward! Give this frickin’ collar, right now!”  
But this emotional mood was soon cut.  
“All this display of friendship is close to bringing tears to my eyes,” said the Togami Heir in a mocking/disgusted tone,” but giving Monokuma power of life and death over our two most powerful fighters, as well as their closest friends, is beyond stupid. It’s suicidal.”  
“What the did you said, arsehole? That me and Bro are stupid? You will need a lotta more than a loaded bank account to get you out of this one...”  
“No, wait !It...it hurt to admit, especially coming from a student so little invested in maintaining trust and order, but...we have to make our decision in a rational, efficient and orderly manner.  
So...you mustn't volunteer, bro!”   
“Did you even listen to what I said?” scowled Byakuya.   
“Like Mondo showed a few seconds ago, he will bend like a reed as soon as you are menaced.  
We may as well give a collar to both of you in this case.”  
Suprisingly ,the Moral Compass laughed.  
“Hahaha! Surely you jest, though I must question the pertinence of the moment you chose for it.  
Bro would never fail to his duty, even if I had to bear the consequence of it! He was merely showing selflessness and dedication, along with the strength of our bond.Right, bro?”  
But when he looked at the biker, he seen the same thing as all of us: a conflicted expression.  
“Bro? What’s wrong?” asked Kyotaka, a little puzzled.  
“Uh...nothing...but...I will always have your back, you know that, right? I would never just leave you behin’- ”  
“You will. If it’s for the mission, then you have to complete it! Your honour and reputation depend of it! No...both of our honour, for failure would then rest on my shoulder too!  
You want to save your classmates, don’t you?”  
Mondo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.  
“I...”   
Byakuya sighed. “Like I told. Now, may we begin to discuss who will have to wear the collar or…?”  
“I want your promise as a man!”   
“What?...” responded Byakuya.  
“What?” asked Mondo.  
“Promise me as a man that you will make sure our class leave this place, even if you have to sacrifice me for this! Give me your word. No if, no but, no exception. Say it.”  
The blond student pushed is glasses on his eyes rather strongly.  
“What stubbornness. Do you really believe any of us will trust your “Bro” after we all just witnessed his lack of determination? It’s rather clear that he will refuse anyway.”  
Sweeping the room with my gaze, it looked like he was right. Most of the student looked doubtful or at least unsure of which decision made. I, myself, was belonging in the second category for now...   
“...I promise.”  
The Gang Leader, now at the center of attention, continued speaking.  
“I promise as a man, I will see my duty to the end, and defeat Monokuma by making sure everyone make it out of here alive, no matter...the cost! No matter what might happen, I’m not goin’ to go back on my word. I’m giving you, Kyotaka Ishimaru…  
…my promise as a man.”  
…  
The blond and bespectacled Ultimate resumed speaking.  
“Let’s ignore this pathetic speech. I suppose everyone agree with me that Mondo is not trustworthy?”  
But the class wasn’t sharing his opinion.  
“I don’t know...for some reason, he sounded very reliable while he spoke.” said Asahina, sweating a little and her finger poking her cheek.  
“Uh...thank you...” answered Mondo,scratching his head nervously.  
“Ah, it’s gone now. It was a bit unsettling, honestly” said Asahina, redressing her head and smiling.  
“Hey!”  
Sakura nodded.“I have to agree with Asahina. As someone with...” she looked away in shame.  
“… a strong propensity to follow my oaths, I believe Mondo promise can be trusted and that Hina’s impression is correct.  
I am strongly inclined to believe him.”  
“My intuition is that he is being serious too. And my intuition is rarely wrong.” added Sayaka, a serious expression on her visage.  
“I… will believe in Sayaka. And Mondo,too!” I added.  
“And I believe in him too! Congratulation for those strong words ,Mondo!” finished Taka.  
Hiro laughed a little.“Ah,if everyone agree, I guess I will-”  
“Cut it out. Though I shouldn’t be surprised an idiot like you would agree with their decision.  
Let’s just cut to the hearth of the matter: there are two collars left. Will you see reason, Sakura Ogami? Or will you lobby for your so-called “best friend” that you already betrayed once to wear a mortal trap? ”  
Wait, two?  
The colossus winced, then slowly shook her head.  
“I’m...afraid I can’t show the same resolve as Mondo. I do not want to be potentially responsible for harming Hina a second time.“   
Hina softly spoke.“Sakura...”   
“So we still need two peoples willing to give up their safety. Who will it be?” asked Byakuya.  
“Wait a second...why two? We are ten, and half of ten is five….”  
“Very impressive.”  
:(  
“...and only Kyotaka and me volunteer for now. So… there should be three collars left.”  
“Sadly for you, the mastermind’s lackey never mentioned anything about removing Sayaka’s collar.”  
“Ouch! Lackey? I’m hurt!” replied the interested with a voice saying the contrary.  
“B-but she didn’t specify that we would leave this room either ,right? Beside, the only reason Sayaka was collared was to avoid an evasion! This was just temporary, right?”  
“I’m not the one you be asking this.” he answered, readjusting his glasses. “But with a mind as devious as her, there is no doubt she will use her absence of clarification to cause you more despair.  
Furthermore, Sayaka is a lot more interesting of a hostage than anybody we would choose.  
And I have no doubt that you are in the same situation as her.”  
I reached for my collar.” Oh, yeah…you’re right. So we can’t remove the collar from Sayaka...”  
Said girl smiled sadly. “If that can comfort you, I would have volunteered anyway. I owe a least that to everybody here, since I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have admitted my guilt even if I knew it would lead to everyone execution…”  
“T-that doesn’t comfort me that much...”  
“Suck to be you!” rudely intervened the masked girl. “But anyway, Ultimate Rich got it right!   
Great minds think alike, right?”  
Hard to see which of her taunt annoyed the heir the most.  
“As I just proven, being rich is the least of my qualities. Rather, it’s a consequence of my exceptional skills. And I have nothing in common with an irrational and brutish bandit.   
Do not believe for a second that I will succumb to your pathetic game.“  
“Wow! What a though talk! Welp, I guess if you kill someone and succeed, then your claim will be proven true...So you should work on staying alive until this and helping your classmates with finding death-collars amateurs.”  
“We still need two more...” I said. “Is there any other volunteers?”


	30. Chapter 30

“We still need two more...” I said. “Is there any other volunteers?”  
A silence. Not very surprising, actually. With Sayaka, me and Kyotaka already wearing collars, and Sakura,Hina and Mondo unable to,it only left Byakuya,Touko,Hiro and…  
Kyoko! We would just have to choose Kyoko, since she work for the master-  
…  
That’s why he said he would only allow volunteers, isn’t it? That bastard…  
Regardless, a lot of eyes were now on Hiro, since he was the more likely to agree.  
Feeling the pressure, the older student panicked.  
“Hey! Why are you all looking at me! Why not look at...Touko, instead?  
Look, Touko, I know we had our differences, b-but...Byakuya would be proud of you?..”  
“No.” informed the interested.  
“I-I will never v-volunteer, y-you shit-for-brain hippie...”  
“She’s volunteering, and always has.” stated the businessman.  
“Of c-course it’s true! I won’t let any of you t-try to convince me otherwise! T-trying to trick me into disbelieving M-Master...you perfidious, rotten parasites! You just w-want to keep Master away from me!”  
Collective sigh.  
Hiro looked relieved.“Phew! Thank for helping me, Byakuya...wait, that’s not right. Why did you help me?”  
“I am not helping you. It would just be inconvenient for me if the deal was to fail because of her refusal to cooperate. We have little choice left already. Beside, I think death would suit her better than any living state.”explained the Affluent Progeny. Even though he did exactly the same thing by refusing to cooperate.  
It probably shown in my expression, because a snarl soon appeared on his face, followed by a scathing “Did you just compare the two of us for a second? Unacceptable. I’d like to tell you how much more worthy I am than this depraved woman, but such a number haven’t been invented yet.”  
A moan of pleasure came from the mouth of the aforementioned woman, Byakuya’s expression growing even more displeased than before.  
An unpleasant beat passed.  
I came back to my sense.  
“You can’t force her to do that, Byakuya!” I protested.  
“I’m not forcing her to do anything. Look at her. Does it seem like she is being coerced?”  
“I c-confirm! I’m doing this willingly! And Master absolutely can force me to anything he want! In f-fact,I’d love th-”  
“Silence.”  
She shut up instantly.  
“I believe it prove my point.” resumed Byakuya.  
“But that’s not fair! You influenced her. She would never have volunteered if you didn’t ask her too!”   
“And Kyotaka would not have volunteered without Mondo agreeing to make his stupid promise.  
Your point?”  
“I...it’s not the same!” I protested, trying to find th flax in his logic.  
“I agree with Makoto.” intervened Hina.” I don’t know where what he said is wrong, but it’s definitively wrong!”  
Byakuya groaned. “This is pointless. The only criteria is volunteering. This filthy women clearly does. If you believe I’m wrong, just ask the petty criminal in front of us.”  
“I confirm, I confirm! Except for that last part. I may be petty, but my crimes are not!”  
Sayaka put her hand on my shoulder.  
“I’m afraid we should accept it, Makoto. This is not like we’ve got a lot of option...I doubt Kyoko or Byakuya will accept, and even if Hiro does, there would be one collar left.”  
A little reluctantly, I turned toward the heir, and sighed.” Okay. And as the last person...” I turned my head to look a the Ultimate Clairvoyant.  
“Hiro...are you okay will volunteering?” I asked, a hint of pleading in my voice.  
“Ghhh...why me? Byakuya’s a lot less chill than me! It should be him that wear the collar. Beside, I’ve got a bad feeling about him. I’m sure he’s gonna cause us trouble! Even my divination agree!”  
“Sadly for you, I have no intention of volunteer. Now get over it and accept to wear this collar.”  
I threw an apologetic glance at Yasuhiro.  
“Hey! If refusing is all I have to do to not wear a collar, I can do it too!Honest!”  
“Hiro, please...” begged Sayaka.  
“W-wait! I’m not ready to refuse yet! Just let me more time!”  
“Thank your for proving that you are going to fold before I do, imbecile.” snorted Byakuya.  
Hiro continued to talk.“What about Kyoko? I mean, I know she helped us a lot during the trials, but...s-she’s a little suspicious, isn’t it? This amnesia, and her lack of emotions...and beside, since she’s so reliable, I’m sure she would be willing to wear the collar in my place! That’s just the kinda girl she is!”  
“Why did your opinion on Kyoko changed halfway during your sentence?” sweated Asahina.  
“Fuckin’ coward. Trash talkin’ Kyoko when she helped us all this time, then pretending to like her when it suit you...You better man up and take responsibility, or I’m gonna help your face learn how to change forms!”  
“Tsk tsk tsk! No physical coercion, I repeat!” admonished the masked girl with a sickly sweet voice.” We’re civilized peoples here!”  
“There is nothing civilized about you!” Hina called out the girl.  
“It’s cause I’m a beeaaaaar.”  
It was beginning to get REALLY annoying.  
“Anyway, Hiro, Kyoko wouldn’t volunteer to replace you, because… well, you will surely ask me why I didn’t tell you sooner, but we had to hid the fact we knew this from the mastermind, and...”  
“Ugh...you’re not gonna tell me she don’t like me, I hope. I already suspected it,man,but...I hoped it wasn’t true.” sighed Yasuhiro.  
“It’s no wonder she doesn’t like you with the way you acted just now!” reprimanded Hina.  
“Kyoko is an intelligent person. An intelligent person wouldn’t put their life in the line for your sake, or like you.” added Byakuya.  
They didn’t seem very focused on what I was saying.  
“Uh, guys?”  
“Please, everyone hear Makoto out. What he is saying is really important.”   
Thank, Sayaka.  
“So, what I was saying is that...Kyoko is the mastermind’s accomplice.”  
A moment of silence. Then everyone exploded in questions and shock.  
“What the fuck?!”   
“T-this is a serious accusation, Makoto! I hope you are not jesting!”  
“N-no way! T-his can’t be right!” said Hina, hands on her mouth.  
“I’m afraid it is...she tried to attack me during the investigation. Her explanation was inconsistent, and she didn’t found an answer when confronted about it. And I already had suspicion before since she was a detective and prevented the killing game from ending too soon.”  
“Wait, she’s a detective? You found it by yourself” asked Yasuhiro.   
”Why would the mastermind put a detective here? It’s the opposite to what they want!”   
“Hmm, not really. If the blackened succeeded each time, then we would die quickly and the executions wouldn’t be used. In fact,Monokuma probably didn’t expect us to fail any trial since he pretended he would kill everyone in case of failure, which he obviously didn’t do. Beside, Kyoko kept her talent a secret, so no one was discouraged from trying to kill by her. Oh, and, Kyotaka told me this information when I asked him, since Chihiro died. But, I was already a bit intrigued by Kyoko’s investigative skills.”  
“I would like to have more precision on the attack and the explanation.   
Please, can thou develop?”  
“Well, first, I once secretly told her about a plan to disable our collars. But I told her a false and flawed plan, and..she didn’t proposed a better one or criticized the flaws.  
Also, I pretended there was a gun in a drawer to see if Kyoko would tell the mastermind about it, and also put a hair to see if it was opened during my absence.  
This didn’t ended up working, but she lied about the position of the hair and pretended she had found the gun.   
Finally, when I took action and locked up Kyoko, she tried to catch my arm to prevent me from leaving. She already refused to cooperate and let me bind her beforehand.  
She first denied my accusations and argued that it was to trick the mastermind into thinking we had a gun, then she admitted she was lying and that she thought I was the mastermind due to Byakuya’s informations about me and the fact that I have no talent, combined with the fact I took leadership.“  
Sayaka believed me for sure, and others too. But a lot of them,like Hiro,Asahina,Mondo and Taka visibly didn’t want to believe me.  
“While she was a little...distant, Kyoko never exhibited any tendencies to break rules and create chaos. Are you certain you didn’t overlooked something in her explanation?” asked Taka.  
“Maybe you just overthought things, man. I would be pretty annoyed if you locked me and called me traitor because of speculation, so I guess I can see why she would try to stop you when she was doing somethin’ important.”   
“...”  
I sighed.  
“Okay, I didn’t want to say it to not worry you all, but...when she tried to catch me, she…  
she only used one hand. The other...was holding a knife.”  
Sayaka looked at me in disbelief for a second, before guiltily shaking off her suspicion and asked me: “Did she...”  
“Yes. I am categorical. She tried to stab me.”  
Anger immediately begun radiating from her.  
“What?” said Hiro.  
“Fuck...so she really is a traitor...” said Mondo, clenching his fist and closing his eyes.  
“Sorry for doubting you, man...I just...didn’t want to believe it.”  
“Of course, I understand.”   
“I can’t believe Kyoko would do this...” said Hina,visibly shocked.  
And it was true, I understood why he did it, I just didn’t…it wasn’t my fault...why even bother?  
I shrugged off my emotional reaction, or lack thereof, and continued to focus.  
“So, now that we have enough volunteer, maybe we should first try to find another solution, make sure there is no catch in Monokuma’s proposition, and ask for more precision on the killing game rules?”  
“It seem like a good idea.” approved Sakura.  
“Makoto is right.” added Sayaka. “An idea or a remark, anyone?”  
“We’re not in a good position to negotiate, sadly. This woman showed us she would not hesitate to put her life on the line. The odds about a refusal of her terms resulting in our death are we above eighty percent, while accepting her terms only necessitate us to wear three more collars, which put only 30% of the class in jeopardy.” said Byakuya.  
“But even the ones without collars are not safe...they might get killed during the killing game!”  
protested Asahina.  
“If they get killed, it mean they were not cautious enough. If you do not think you are up to the simple task of surviving without a collar, I may take it upon myself to establish better rules.“  
But his affirmation was wrong.


	31. Chapter 31

“I’m not sure I agree with your assessment, Byakuya… even if the mastermind’s accomplice is willing to kill herself, killing all of us would stop the killing game.

And killing themselves would diminish the number of the mastermind’s underlings by one, provide us with another weapon, and perhaps even an explosive device.”

“Ahh,I’m sure you wouldn’t ALL die if it exploded. Maybe slightly crippled for life. Oh, that’s an interesting concept! Never thought of before! You will have to find if Asahina could have ascended the stairs with a wheelchair, if Sakura could have found a trick to open a door without arms, if Byakuya is smart enough to pull this complicated trick off after having his cerebellum forcibly replaced by a scrap of metal!”

Even Sakura’s expression was filled with disgust and horror.

“Maybe I should have make sure you were like this from the beginning. I mean, those Ultimate Talents are good for differentiating each participant, but being good at writing book will only get you so far when planning a murder. Even Makoto’s ability, being perfectly replaceable if I decide I’m tired of him, is not very helpful to him. Well, it’s sure is for me.

You’re lucky I’m such a sticker for rules!” laughed the masked girl.

“Makoto’s not replaceable, you jerk! Also, don’t touch to my legs! No way I’m letting you! I can’t swim or run without those!”

“Excuses, excuses! I thought the Ultimate Swimmer might overcome small details like missing a limb or two, but apparently you’d rather complaint about the legs you wouldn’t have instead of using the arms you would still possess! And isn’t convincing yourself you can’t do something the first step to failure? “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” This is a quote from Tommy Lasorda .”

“How dare you.”

Sayaka didn’t miss the opportunity to counter-attack.

“You’re just salty that Makoto prevented us from dying and managed to get us rid of our collars.

You know very well that he, from all of us, has done the most to stop this killing game.”

“Salty?!” reacted the masked girl in an ostensibly fake outrage.”Take that back!”

Interrupting the glaring contest between the two girls, (now that I think about it, it’s hard to do this when you can’t see your opponent eyes. The mask “eyes” got to be transparent from inside, but they certainly are not from the outside),Yasuhiro asked a question.

“Better rules? If you really have better rules, why didn’t you already suggested them?”

“If you need to know, it was to avoid attracting the mastermind attention, let see you plebeians that the current rules are ineffective and make you more willing to accept mines, and finally make sure that any would-be murderer have better target at their disposition than me.”

“Seriously, dude?” asked Hiro, oscillating between dismay and disappointment.

“What?!That’s an awful reason! You should be ashamed of yourself!” accused Asahina, glaring at Byakuya.

“Be aware that I will not let thou harm Hina of any of my classmate.” threatened Sakura.

“You already did it once when you cooperated with the mastermind. And you did it again when you failed to find better rules by yourself. Your threat is empty.” arrogantly proclaimed the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

“Stop fighting, please!” I said. “And Byakuya, I think you know very well that if you antagonize the rest of the class, we are willing and able to punish you; this is not a contest of intelligence.”

“And I am sure to even the less intellectually gifted in this class can understand that my family will make sure any threat on my person will bear consequences.” he replied.

“Are seriously hidin’ behind your mom?!This is a new level of cowardise.”

“How DARE you!”he seethed.

But I lost all interest in this pointless confrontation.

I turned away and spoke:“Mon-, uh, what’s your name?”

“I’m not sure that’s very important, Makoto.” whispered Sayaka.

“Confidential! What’s your question?”

“How exactly will it affect the rules if we accept your deal? Will the collarless be treated differently?”

“Well, first, I can’t execute you if you don’t have a collar. All the rest is the same, two people will have to kiss their lives goodbye if the blackened succeed. It may be a little awkward at first to live with a murderer, but I’m sure you will manage! Maybe Makoto will give you some tips.”

I and Sayaka both gritted our teeth, though the impact was very different for each of us.

“And hey, you can just take the matter into your own hands if this is too much for you to bear, if you see what I mean. It would help me a lot, frankly. Perhaps I could give you a reward or something.”

“We will never give you what you want.” I declared.

At least, not unless we have something to gain too. And while Monokuma probably didn’t care about who was suffering or dying as long as it was interesting, not everyone in this class had the same worth. There was some ground for compromise between us.

“We’ll see, we’ll see. Anyway, now that I said I wanted the collarless student to die, I’m now feeling forced to adopt an attitude coherent with that stance, and with that in mind, I announce a fifty-percent reduction of death in any trial where a victim have no collar.

What does that mean? It’s very simple: if the blackened succeed, only one student will suffer the consequence of failing to expose the murder amidst you, chosen by the majority; and if the blackened fail, I will let them a chance to survive. They just have to convince at least half of their comrades to give them their trust.

They will then be given two choice: keep their words, or betray the trust.

If they take the first one and redeem themselves, then the blackened will not be executed and will stay here. But it they don’t...if they refuse to take their only chance of redemption...then two innocents will be executed like if the blackened succeeded; one by the blackened and one by popular vote, and only peoples who voted to trust the black soul of the culprit may be taken as sacrifices. “

Mondo did not look convinced. “Why would anyone give the blackened a chance to kill us? If they didn’t want us dead, they wouldn’t have killed in the first place!”

“Puhuhu, you’re so close-minded! Can’t you believe that, like Sayaka, the culprit may end up genuinely regretting his actions? What if it was an accident? What if it was a mistake?

Do you want me to take back this clause? You ungrateful bastard!”

The biker was taken aback.“Okay, okay,don’t do that, I get it! “ he said,putting his hands defensively in front of him. But I heard him whispering to himself:”tch...”killing by accident”...so stupid.”

This looked good on the surface. If Sayaka had killed me or Leon, then was uncovered during the trial like I predicted(even more likely now that I know Kyoko is a detective and may be helped by the mastermind, or that Monokuma is not ready to kill us all), then it seemed like it could have saved her life. But I wasn’t naive. If the survival of the blackened depend on what the rest of the class think of them, it just provide any blackened an incentive to fake remorse and guilt.

Given that Sayaka is the Ultimate Idol, there is no way the others would have trusted her with this rule and gave her a second chance.

In Cel-Taeko and Hifumi’s trial, we may have never known that Hifumi was genuinely remorseful… and given Taeko’s skill as a liar, we may have either took the bait or, more likely sent her to her death without knowing if she was feeling guilty or not.

The others may feel even more guilty about their death than they are now, especially Sayaka.

The class looked like they didn’t realize that it was a poisoned gift. Well, except for Sayaka and Byakuya...and Touko too? Oh yeah, she’s paranoid, I forgot.

Anyway, there was still a grey area not addressed by our captor’s accomplice.

“What if an uncollared student murder another uncollared student? They wouldn’t get executed anyway. So is there any benefit for them if they loose the trial?”

“Very good question, indeed! You are a very observant student, Makoto. I congratulate you!”

Hum? She suddenly changed they way she spoke. It was slower, and more condescending. Not in a very aggressive way, but like she was speaking to children.

“You see, in the situation you described,” she resumed with her normal(well, standard would be a better choice of word) voice,“the blackened would get a special compensation. Since I can’t half-kill someone, I will just have to use luck instead! Yes, you heard that right: a shiny one-on-two chance of leaving the execution unscathed! And you only have to kill a collarless student for that !You will still have to deal with your comrades after, but that’s a minor problem. However, to add a little suspense, I won’t reveal the result of the head-or-tails to the blackened. And of course, I won’t let anyone else reveal the result to the attempted murderer either!”

“L-luck? What an unfair way to decide...” whispered Asahina.

“So Makoto could just stay without moving during an execution and you wouldn’t do anything to him?” asked Hiro.

“Hey! You’re vastly overestimating my luck, supposing I have any! And why would I ever try to kill someone?” I protested.

“N-no offence dude, it was just an example.”

Really, none taken.

But the masked girl didn’t agree with Hiro first statement.

“Hey hey! Let’s not take things too far! If you want to survive the execution, even if the luck favour you, you will still have to at least try! I need a little goodwill, I may be generous, but not THAT generous!”

“Oh, okay...” answered Hiro, a hand in his hairs.

“Now that everything’s settled!” she bugled,” do we have a deal?”

I looked at Sayaka, and as expected I only saw assent in her eyes.

She still nodded for my sake.

Around the class, no protestations were emitted. Hiro ,despite his initial hesitation, finally made peace with his choice and some resolve was even to be found in his eyes. Even Byakuya and Touko looked...well, Byakuya looked in agreement with us, Touko just looked at Byakuya.

In some way...it was the first time our class was united. A small unity, one which wouldn’t last, but a unity anyway.

I closed my eyes, and spoke those sealing words:

“It’s a deal.”

xxx

_It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining outside, with a single cloud obscuring a small part of the playground. Inside it, a class of children was playing. Some were playing football, other were pursuing each other, three girls and a boy were speaking. One of them, though, was alone._

_Suddenly, a ball flew, traversing the frontier of shadow, and hit the child._

_They turned to look at the culprit._

“ _Sorry for the ball. I don’t wanted to hit you. Can you give it back?”_

_The boy who did it seemed embarrassed, looking a little away._

_But was he really sorry? Maybe he really did miss his shot. But there was no way to be sure, was there? Maybe they were just playing with him. Trying to see just how far they could go and still have him act submissively to them._

“ _Hm, did you hear me?”_

_The voice looked a little impatient. Maybe a little anger hidden behind it, even._

_If it was the case, then it was a point in favour of his theory. But...the boy was right to be angry._

__ didn’t answer when spoken to. _ was making it awkward, and rudely turned the boy’s apology against him by giving the impression _ refused it. It was _ fault that _ didn’t answer, _ should have been more focused. Even if _ was right and they were bullying _, that didn’t excuse _ absence of answer since _ had no certainty of it being the case. In fact, even if it was the case it was especially important to not do any mistake in front of them, to make sure they didn’t hold leverage over _;they would probably mock him if _ gave them the tiniest excuse._

__ gave them the ball back, careful to not make the gesture look aggressive._

__ politely reassured them that _ didn’t felt anything and casually apologized for spacing out._

“ _Oh, good.”_

_The match resumed._

_A little after, the bell rang._

_While they were getting in line, his “friend” whispered to him._

“ _Haha!I seen you get busted in the face by the ball. Did it hurt?”_

_Of course, it did hurt on the moment, and it was disagreeable._

__ answered that he barely felt it._

_A nod answered his claim._

“ _That’s good. You know if you ever get hurt, you can tell me, right?”_

_It was reasonable, but it was false t say that it was judicious to do that in any circumstance._

__ confirmed his “friend” statement, adding he was a really good friend._

_It was a very good “friend”, really. It was very unlikely that _ would ever feel betrayed by him. Well, of course he would never feel betrayed, what _ meant was that he would probably never betray him. Of course,_ always kept in mind this possibility._

_Putting instinctive or emotional trust in anyone was unneeded._

“ _Hell yeah! We’ll stay friend forever!”_

_Very unlikely._


	32. Chapter 32

“Even if in the end it didn’t work out, thank you for convincing the others to stay in the room, Sayaka.”

The class was walking down the stairs back to first floor.

Monokuma had opened the collars, saying there was no need to bother with it anymore, now that the cameras, explosives and others lethal functionalities were unable to work.

Even the mic were of limited utility since we could just write instead, which was slow and boring and not what he wanted.

And he had others mics anyway.

Despite his affirmations, it was a little...unexpectedly generous. Though I guess this was a show, after all, it would just make things more boring not to.

...Was it possible that the collars would explode after too much time offline? It would make sense, but why not use this as a threat, even as a bluff? After all, we were still unable to remove the collars by ourselves.

Regardless of the motive, the collars, at Byakuya’s suggestion, now formed a heap on the corner of the room. Monokuma made us remove the aluminium, and reactivated the collars, in case anybody wanted to put a collar on someone; an action which would give the perpetrator a free escape.

And of course, we had no right to destroy, close or lock them. Not that closing them would disable them.

“What do you mean?“ answered Sayaka.” I just exchanged a collar against one guns… it’s not like I asked anybody to cooperate or wear a collar.”

“That’s true, but without that, Byakuya or someone else may have tried to escape on their own, and got me killed when Monokuma decided to retaliate. “

“Ah, Monokuma told us he had weapons and that he would prevent anyone from escaping, so...I’m not certain I have a lot to do with it...Byakuya would have left without a doubt without this threat.” she answered, slightly flustered.

It was...probably true.

“Don’t say that!” I protested.”And it was still amazing how you got us one gun, even if it meant renouncing to your safety.” I said, looking at her collar and her gun. “It’s an amazing deal.”

Hum, maybe I shouldn't have phrased it like that. “It was very courageous of you and it will be very helpful” would have been better.

But the girl reacted positively, though it seemed like she wasn’t expecting me to say something like that.

“Ah, thank you, Makoto. I really want to help you all...b-but you foremost. “

“Thank you for it. Hmm,now that I think about it, it’s true that the mastermind’s contract seemed too good to be true.”

Touko groaned.” A-A-re you two lovebird d-done?!”

I ignored her.

I shared Sayaka’s sentiment about Monokuma being able to prevent us from leaving before the challenge. True, we could have tried to ambush the mastermind...but if goons were involved, it made this even riskier. And the same game of chicken could have been played

to convince us not to try anything. Even if I failed to make an escape, would they really have complied with our captor’s wish? Sure, the fact that there is no exit would have discouraged them, but it would have discouraged them even more if they had no guns.

The only rational way to explain this was…a desire to make the show more interesting.

That would confirm we are here to entertain. But a show can’t go on without participants.

...Could it be that our enemy knew what I was going to do?

I doubt that they expected me to expose Kyoko. After all, why waste such an efficient agent?

Maybe I was looking too much into it. Maybe the mastermind just knew their minion could use the bomb if things went awry, and didn’t care much about the gun since half of us would be collared.

However, there still was a possibility that the mastermind predicted my true plan yet did nothing to stop me, probably for entertainment reasons. After all, why prepare a bomb if there were no negotiations? And why expect negotiations is there were no contests?

Even if I didn’t propose one, it’s reasonable to think the mastermind would have.

And does that mean the mastermind purposefully refused to take the chance of activating more than one collar when we rushed for the fridge? That seem insane, but again, letting us a chance to escape just for the show is insane too, and our captor definitively is. Oh, and maybe only Sayaka’s collar could actually strangle its wearer, and that the other would have killed their wearer if disconnected for too long.

Still, electrical shocks may have been sent if all the collars were similar to Hifumi’s and Celeste’s, which would made sense since it could be used to guide us to our execution…

Maybe the battery was too limited, and couldn’t be used for long? No, the energy reserves seemed fine for Hifumi’s collar during the execution. More probably, the reason was the lack of lethality of the shocks. Sure, while it was online, the person controlling them could just augment the intensity, but as soon as it disconnected...wait, no. The collars would just have to be programmed to progressively augment the power the longer they were disconnected. And even the paralysis problem could be taken care of: it sufficed to let some seconds of respite between each shock.

That way, no one would die stuck in the fridge.

I didn’t knew what to think.

I stopped thinking about this and focused on our current situation.

The masked girl made it clear before we left that we would be the one repairing the damage we had done. I wanted to refuse, mainly because I spent a lot of time and effort doing it, and I was reluctant to give up on the advantage of secrecy, but there was no ground for us to negotiate.

After all, the killing game would be prevented if the cameras weren't active.

Originally, we were headed to the warehouse to take cleaning supplies and rags to clean the cameras.

But something I almost forgot came to my mind.

“Hold on, we need to check on Kyoko first.”

“What? Shit, you’re right. You bound her in the trash room, right?” said Mondo.

“Next to it, more precisely. It’s...very conceivable she escaped, I wasn’t planning to leave her alone for so long, and she is a detective. Surely she know one things or two about knots, and she seem rather skilled with her hands.”

“Did you really forgot about her? No wonder you failed planning this escape.” chastised Byakuya.

Hina defended me.“I forgot too, you know? There was so much going on, you can’t blame him for this.”

“And it’s no one fault but mine if we failed.” added Sayaka.“If I was a little more quick, or if the mastermind was a little slower to react...”

“...then we would have to fight an armed mastermind and his accomplices.” finished Byakuya.

“I don’t see you making any escape plan! At least he tried, and it was almost it!” exploded Asahina, not able to stand any more of this hypocrisy.

Byakuya sent me a quick glare. We both knew he helped me realise the plan, but I suppose talking about it would catch the attention of the mastermind. He surely wanted me to tell this to the class in secret. Before, I may have complied with his silent request. But now…I discretely nodded to him.

I was just going to pretend to do it, of course. He was dangerous enough like that. I could just play it off as them still being sick of him and his attitude, and being unable to express publicly their knowledge of his actions. And if he tried to get around this by asking the question on paper…

I could just covertly tell everyone that he wanted me to lie about him helping me. I had no explanation yet as to why he felt I had a debt to him, but I would find something. I was resourceful, and no one liked, or trusted, Byakuya . He was making my job an easy one.

I also envisaged telling the mastermind about his involvement. That way, it would disrupt any accord between him and Monokuma; after all, he was the prime candidate for a murder, and the mastermind surely knew about that. I wouldn’t want him to help the arrogant Ultimate in any way.

“Makoto?”

I flashed back to reality.

“Huh?”

“The trash room isn’t in this direction.

Oh, I accidentally turned toward the warehouse instead.

Quickly apologising, I followed the group, ignoring yet another contemptuous glare from Byakuya.

Sayaka stayed a little behind the rest of the group to speak to me:

“What were you thinking of?”

“Oh, nothing.”

She seemingly wasn’t buying it.

“...it’s Kyoko. I knew she was probably a traitor, but...” I improvised.

Here she was. Still bound as I left her.

It was more easy to undo that I would have thought .I was under the impression that I tightened them a little too much:I was in a hurry and stressed, so it wouldn’t be surprising. Yes...stressed...but maybe being a little stressed allowed to take pragmatics action.

Her normal stoic facade was still present, but I felt like she wasn’t nearly as comfortable with the situation and the judgement on my classmates face as she was pretending.

Maybe she really was forced into this...no, I couldn’t just assume that. Honestly, now that I think about it, I should be realist and accept that Kyoko was both very dangerous and probably a far less good person than the rest of my classmates.

“So...Makoto’s right? You really aren’t on our side...” tentatively said Hiro, visibly uncomfortable.

“Looks like we one less threat to worry about.” smiled Byakuya.

“I-I was r-right to not trust you...” mumbled Touko, less aggressively than I would have thought.

But if they were expecting a reaction, then they would be disappointed.

Kyoko just looked away and put her hands on her elbows, unblinking.

Asahina looked pretty angry.“...Do you really have nothing to say? You’re not going to apologise or give an explanation?”

It’s true Asahina seemed one to took loyalty for granted. And considering what the mastermind had forced Sakura to do, her anger was understandable.

“I believe Makoto already gave an explanation. Would an apology really change anything to your situation or your vision of me?”

“Not if you’re uncaring enough to not even try!” replied the angered swimmer.

At this moment, Mondo simply left the place, his teeth gritted and his expression conflicted.

“I am very disappointed in you, Kyoko! I expected more from a student so helpful and reasonable!

You have a great potential and it’s a shame you utilised for such nefarious purpose!” chastised Kyotaka.

I thought it would have even less effect that the others declaration, but I spotted Kyoko’s lips lowering slightly.

“I see. My bad for not being up to your expectations.”

The sarcasm flew above Taka’s head, the displeased face of the still present students unnoticed by Taka. It was sarcasm, right?

Sayaka still wasn’t saying anything, which was a little curious, I would've thought she would be more angry. But as I discovered when I turned by head, the cold stare she was no doubt giving Kirigiri since she arrived here was worth a thousand words.

Sakura too refrained from saying anything, but unlike Sayaka she gave no death stare. Probably because she felt like she had no right to talk; beside she was a rather controlled person in general. She finished by asking about the most pragmatic concern:“What are we to do with her, Makoto?”

I would’ve been pretty uncomfortable with the strongest and most intimidating student automatically asking me for orders before.

“I think she belong where she is.” quietly answered Sayaka.

“T-that seem a little too much.” I said, trying to defuse the situation.

“And not only would it prevent us from disposing of the trash, but it seem a little unsafe to only have a gate separating her from us.” I resisted the urge to not say “actual trash” for comedic purpose, but I acted too much “out of character” in front of the others student already. I didn’t want to make Sayaka doubt me.

“You suggest simply locking her up in her room, correct?” assumed Sakura.

“Yes, you’re right. I think you’re the one who should bring her her meal, though, since I fell like she’s rather good at martial art. And we don’t know if she have a concealed weapon. Maybe the mastermind or the masked girl could even bring a weapon to her.”

Also, I hoped Sakura would manage to get something out of the disgraced detective.

They both worked for the mastermind at a moment after all; using force wouldn’t bear results, but maybe Kyoko mask would crack in the presence of someone similar, and would let her hypothetical guilt get the better of her. It would be less efficient if I she knew my plan though.

I just needed to find a pretext for the two of them to talk.

“Of course.” answered the martial artist.

She undid the knot and took Kyoko’s arms.

“So...she will always stay locked in her room all day? She will never leave?” asked Hiro, looking unsure.

“She should have thought about that before trying to stab Ma-...and helping the mastermind.” coldly replied Sayaka, but flushing mid-sentence when she realised what she just said.

Kyoko looked at Sayaka with surprise, some shock even making it’s way onto her face.

“What?”

Shit.

Already a little pale-face and uncomposed after her blunder, she became livid at Kyoko’s reaction. For a slight moment, though, confusion and self-doubt could be seen on her pretty face. But then…

“And don’t you DARE acting INNOCENT, you fucking BITCH!!!”

Tears on her eyes, and anger mixing with shame, she left, unable to stand it any more.

The incident was averted. But I knew I got lucky. If Sayaka had not tripped on her words and humiliated herself, she may not have brushed over Kyoko reaction so quickly.

The Idol’s expression made it clear she had seen no deceit on Kyoko’s face.

That’s probably what made her so angry. If it was obvious Kyoko was lying, she would just have sent her a vicious glare and made a cutting remark.

But for a second, she believed that maybe, Kyoko wasn’t lying.

I was feeling a little bad for making Sayaka experience such a disagreeable cognitive dissonance, but I pushed the emotion away.

Kyoko looked at me. Some sweat dripped on my forehead.

She looked ready ready to argue, but seemingly changed her mind at the last second and simply stated:” I did nothing of the sort.”

“Yeah, sure.” answered Hina, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“Silence, traitor.” said Byakuya in a disinterested tone.

She knew there was no way anyone would believe her. That’s why instead of trying to confront me or to show her sincerity by putting emotions in her voice, she flatly stated her position, both avoiding to prompt the others to argue back, and putting herself in a more advantageous position to attack my lie in the future than if she simply rolled with it. Nobody would believe her if her position was inconsistent over time, even if she found some proofs to back it up.

“I believe it is time to lead her to her to her room.” declared Sakura, wanting to move things along.

“And, Kyoko… thou are less intelligent than I thought if you think anyone will believe your lie.”

The Ultimate Detective made no comments.


	33. Chapter 33

“I believe it is time to lead her to her to her room.” declared Sakura, wanting to move things along.

“And, Kyoko… thou are less intelligent than I thought if you think anyone will believe your lie.”

The Ultimate Detective made no comments.

We made sure to put some distance between us and the girl. It would be suicidal of her part to try and attack us, and she seemed to have no weapons, but better safe than sorry.

Still, we stayed in group to not let Sakura alone.

I went into my room to take the key and locked Kyoko inside.

“It’s done. We can take care of the cameras now...”

Asahina sighed. “I need a donuts to comfort myself after this. I have no energy right now.”

It’s true that she seemed totally unmotivated, a far cry from the Asahina we knew.

“Sadly, the masked girl forbade us from eating until we finished our duty. Thou may ask them, but...”

“Nope!” resonated the mic.

Hina groaned.

Hopefully, we would be finished before the midday meal.

Once we reached our destination, we formed two-persons groups again.

As people assembled, I realised a problem that, frankly I should have noticed a lot earlier.

Byakuya was in group with Touko. Touko was ready to do more or less anything for Byakuya.

It looked less dangerous before, but now that we had a precedent of a group committing a murder together…

Now that I thought about it, Byakuya himself was very dangerous in general.

Maybe I could find a way to lock him up too. Maybe I could mix that with my refusal to give him the good reputation he wanted after helping me. Yes, that way, there would be no risk of him uncovering the truth later in the future and riposting.

“Hum, Hina? I’m sorry, but Sakura should go with Byakuya.”

“Huh? Why?” asked Asahina ,reluctant to be separate from her friend.

“H-huh?W-why?” almost cried Touko.

“I’m sorry, I can’t explain right now, but it’s important. Can you do that, Sakura?” I pleaded.

Sakura hesitated but as I predicted agreed.

“My apologies, Hina. I would rather be with you but it seem I am needed elsewhere.”

“Got it...” answered the swimmer.

Byakuya looked at me with surprise. I threw a quick smile when the others weren’t looking.

“There is no need for that.” he answered. “I need someone to accomplish menial tasks in my place, and Touko, as repulsive as she is, fit the bill.”

It’s true that Touko would be the ideal candidate for that, given how subservient she was.

“Sakura,if it’s not too much to ask of you?..” I looked at her pleadingly.

“...Very well.”

She went next to Byakuya and paired with him. If she was displeased to replace Touko as his servant, she didn’t show it.

Killing two birds with on stone, I prevented Byakuya from using Touko as a pawn, while giving him the impression I was paying him back for his help. I would tell him later that I wanted to give him protection in the form of Sakura, as well as to avoid the company of Touko.

And he couldn’t refuse the offer without looking suspicious.

His expression was unreadable, but he didn’t protest.

“M-master...noooooo... I can become muscled too if you want, I promise...” she whined.

I believe Byakuya was beginning to see the advantage of the pairing with Sakura, if his disgusted expression was anything to judge by.

Asahina paired with Sayaka(good), Mondo with Taka, and...Hiro, Touko and myself were left.

Going at three seemed like a bad habit to take. At the same time, it would prevent any group from coopering. Oh, I could just have used this excuse to add someone to Byakuya’s...no, the guy would just have been murdered, and we wouldn’t know who it was. Wait, no, obviously Byakuya would be the one doing the killing. Oh well, what is done is done, and what I did was probably better.

But that didn’t solve my problem.

I looked at Touko nigh murderous face, her hostility toward me seemingly on the verge of manifesting itself in reality.

Option one it was.

“Touko, I will need you to stay in your room. Sorry, but forming a group of three is too dangerous.”

She didn’t even protests, taking her chance to distance herself from me now that she couldn’t follow her “Master”.

I quickly locked her up.

“So, how do we organise?” asked Hiro.

Well...working all at once on the same floor may be a little unpractical.

But…

“Mastermind? Can I ask a question?”

I waited several seconds. Nothing. I almost thought there would be no response, but after around five seconds the mic activated:

“Bzzzt! My name is Monokuma! I don’t know who is this mastermind you are talking about!”

Ugh.

“Do we have to clean all floors? Even those we aren’t allowed to access?”

It would be too dumb if we died because my interlocutor forgot to disable the auto-killing for when we trespass.

“Of course! Take responsibility for your actions. And don’t worry, I’m almost sure it won’t activate the collar.”

Seriously…

“Okay. So, Sayaka and Asahina will go to the fourth floor, Byakuya and Sakura to the third, Mondo and Kyotaka to the second, and finally me and Hiro to the first. Make sure stay close enough to regularly confirm your partner presence. Hum...who want to do the fifth floor?”

“I volunteer.” said Sayaka, rather seriously. She was doing all she could to repay her debt.

She hesitated.“Unless you have a problem with that,Hina?”

“Nope! I was a little moody before, but seeing your dedication made me feel a little competitive !Hey,I’m sure I will clean more camera than you!”

“Hehehe, I don’t doubt it.” chuckled the idol.

I smiled to Sayaka.“Good. ”

“I suppose that we will have to wait for you to finish until finally eating?” sighed Byakuya.

“In that case, I suppose I and Sakura will help you with this too. We are the closest ones anyway other than you anyway, and probably the most competent.”

Huh? Surprising. And why was he boasting about their camera-cleaning skills? Still, a welcome help. I was hungry.

“If you say so...Is this okay with everyone?”

Spoiler: it was.

We first went to the warehouse to collect the equipment.

Each group then separated, and me and Hiro began to work.

Turn out, cleaning the cameras allowing a psychopath to spy on you is even less fun than I would have thought. And they were placed too high to be easily accessible, so I had to take a chair in the classroom. Really, spraying paint was much funnier.

And Hiro wasn’t the most...helpful partner. He hated this as much as I did and it showed.

But after what felt like at least an hour of work, we were almost done.

I passed in front of the toilets. Looking at the feminine icon, I hesitated, before shrugging it off.

We were lucky the camera in it didn’t film the toilet themselves.

But as I approached the camera, I noticed something in the wall.

A small hole. What?

Since when was that here? Who could have done it?

And most importantly: was the mastermind going to spot it on my camera?

I casually(or at least I hoped) my arm in front of my camera, rushed at the end of the bathroom, and turned away from the wall. I then began to clean the camera...wait, would it spot the hole?

My brain working overtime, I decided to seek in the closet a bucket...yes, there was one.

I then pushed it in front of the hole, and used it to wash my now blackened rag.

Okay. It was done. Now what? I needed to ask someone trustworthy, with no camera on them, to go check this for me. Sakura,Asahina, or Mondo. Which would be a little hard now that I cleaned the camera in this room.

I should’ve think more about this. Luckily, the mastermind wouldn’t pay a lot of attention to this camera. They had no reason to think anything worthwhile was going one, and there was at least fifty camera in the school, probably a lot more, without mentioning the collars cameras.

But I still needed a good excuse for a student to come here, move the bucket, and even maybe look inside the hole. Because I seen grass trough the hole. But why was it so dark? No light was coming out from it, despite the fact we were mid-day. In a moment of inspiration, I put my hand on the hole. Yes, there was a small air movement. I smiled. This was very mysterious, but maybe luck had finally turned in our favor, I felt it inside me. I finished washing the camera, focused on what my next actions would be.

We were all gathered in the dining hall. The usual people prepared the meal, that’s to say Taka,Sayaka,and Sakura. But since everyone was hungry due to the work we just did, the intensity of what we went trough and the late time, others helped. That included me, Asahina, Mondo, and exceptionally, Yasuhiro.

Think of it, the first day too messed up with my metabolism. I was hungry outside the meals and wasn’t feeling as much appetite as before during them.

We finally ate our lunch, happy of taking a break and finally filling our stomach.

xxx

“ _Why did you do this?”_

“ _...”_

“ _What was the reason behind what you’ve done? Were you angry? Were you sad?”_

“ _...”_

“ _I’m your psychiatrist,_. I can’t help you if you don’t ask for help.”_

“ _...I didn’t ask for you help.” There was no animosity in that voice._

“ __.”_

“ _...Apology.” The voice seemed sincerely ashamed, but there was also a clear lack of remorse._

“ _So answer me. Why did you try to get crushed by a trolley?”_

“ _...I didn’t try to get crushed.”_

“ _That’s what most peoples believe. But I know you’re an observant person._

_Thirty second ago, you were speaking with someone. And I know by your friend that even when you look unfocused, you almost never are taken by surprise. Furthermore, you never complained about lacking sleep. You had no reason to cross the path at this place. As far as I know, you never did. So, I repeat my question. Why?”_

“ _...*sigh* I was too tired to think about it.”_

“ _You were too tired?”_

“ _I...got lazy. I didn’t have the energy to change my path. I was not feeling like it.”_

“ _Is that your answer? You were tired, so you went under a trolley?”_

“ _...yes.”_

“ _This meeting was long enough. I hope our next one will be more successful. There is some things that only you can do to help yourself, _.”_

“ _...I hadn’t the energy to fight the impulse.”_

“ _I will prescribe you medication to give you more energy and anti-depression pills. It will help with your focus, your tiredness, and perhaps make you a little more invested in your life.”_

“ _...Okay. Can I go?”_

“ _Yes.”_

_The boy left._


	34. Chapter 34

After eating my well-deserved food(Asahina skipped directly to the donuts), I waited for the slowest-eating of my comrades to finish their meals.

Byakuya and Hina were the main culprits, the heir making sure to eat in a refined and slow manner with decorum, while Asahina quick pace was compensated by the sheer quantity of food she absorbed. Apparently, she was a stress eater. And it was further aggravated when she decided to compete with Mondo on this matter, while Taka was doing his best to not flinch at the unproperness of such a thing. Truly, Taka had to value his relationship with Mondo a lot for him to not make a comment. Ugh, why did I use that term? They weren’t arrived at this for now, and I should savour every second of this. Who knew how long it would stay true.

“Makoto, I wish to have a discussion with you. Alone.”

Ah, Byakuya was going to confront me. Well, confront was maybe too strong of a word.

“Okay...”

I acted like I was a little nervous or surprised, not like I was expecting it. It would make it easier to convince the others that me and Byakuya had no agreement and that he was blackmailing me.

If followed him to one of the classroom. I gave him the notebook I now always keep on me.

I noticed he had a pencil in his pocket, surely as sharp as its owner. I love zeugma.

But he moved his hand and took my pen instead. There are limits to avarice, Byakuya.

Though his pen was probably more suited to calligraphy or drawing than hurried writing.

No need to wear it off for a simple message.

As usual, I placed myself in a way to foil the stationary camera.

“What it is?”I asked.

“Was my assignation with Sakura supposed to be a gift for my cooperation?” he wrote.

“Yes, why?”

The pencil grated the paper.“I will let you know that if I wanted this,I would have asked for it. I am the one who will determine how you will pay your debt toward me, and when. Sakura may be more efficient and far less disgusting to be around than Touko, so your initiative was appreciable, but do not expect me to take these effort into consideration. There will be time where your help will be far more useful.”

“Oh...okay, sorry about it.”

“Do you intend to tell the others about my contribution?”

“Yes, of course. I will do this as early as I can.”

“No need for this.”

Ah, maybe he’s concerned about Monokuma knowing this. Because he doesn’t want to be a target, or because he intend to cooperate with him?

I borrowed the notebook back and wrote.

“Are you afraid of Monokuma? I can do this secretly.”

I knew it would trigger him a little.

This time, he talked. “Don’t say such foolish things. I am merely being cautious. And your precaution is insufficient.”

Writing again:”Do your best to facilitate everything I do, but do it discretely. Monokuma needn’t know.”

Maybe it would make it a little more difficult for me to realise my conspiracy. Now, I couldn’t be subservient to him in an obvious way without him interrogating my actions.

I nodded.

“Good.”

With those words, he left, and I followed him.

Everyone had waited for us.

I planned to gather everyone and tell them my story, but it was no longer an option. No dice.

...what now?

It was a question I never really had to ask myself before now.

I was always seeking ways to escape, trying to proceed to the next step that would ensure our liberation.

But my plan had failed. I had no backup ones.

What should I do?

…

Maybe I should just give up.  
I did enough already, didn’t I? I put a lot of effort into trying to escape, I even put my life on the line, and what did I got in return?

We were probably going to die anyway, no matter what we did.

“Hey, wake up, Makoto! Are you sleeping?”

It was Hina.

“Are you alright, Makoto?” asked Sayaka,a little worried.

“Uh, yeah, of course. Sorry, I was just trying to think about what do next, now that my plan failed.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to say it failed.” she answered. “Sure, we didn’t escape, but now half of us are without collars, the class trials are less dangerous, and we got a weapon.” she said, showing her gun.

And I now knew there was a hole in the bathroom wall. Oh ,and this weapon should be taken care of. I trusted Sayaka, but someone else might try to stole it. Maybe not for a murder due to the sound it would cause, but to gain the favour of Monokuma.

What was I thinking? Of course I had things to do. Even my little conspiracy against Byakuya was worth being detailed more.

But one thing at the time.

Everyone seemed ready to leave, and some were looking in my direction as to confirm whether or not it was okay to leave.

“Hum, everyone? I have something to say to you, but Monokuma can’t know, say I’m going to write it.”

But I couldn’t just write one message. The mastermind would follow closely the person whom I would give it to. So I torn up eight pages, and on seven of these, wrote:”Ignore this message, and keep it on you.”

On the last one, I wrote:

“Hole in the girl bathroom wall. May give on the exterior. Hidden behind a pail. Go discretely check if you think you can destroy the wall. May try to detonate collars if you think it will weaken it enough for you to destroy it. But communicate it to me first, at the dinner. The others will give me fake message too to divert attention. Beware of the camera.”

I gave up on the idea to actually look into the hole. No way it wouldn’t draw the mastermind’s attention. But maybe Sakura could gauge the wall and see if there was a way to destroy it.  
My hopes weren’t too high, but there was no way of succeeding if I didn’t at least try, isn’t it?

“Oh. I thought you were going to explain us what was on the other floors instead. Gotta admit, I’m a little disappointed. Good to see you’re working on another way to escape though!”

“Hiro!” hissed Asahina.

Okay, seeing how careless he was was mildly upsetting. But it’s not like the mastermind couldn’t see that something was happening.

“It’s true...you never told us precisely what happened while you investigated . Except, of course, for what She. Did.” Sayaka was a more calm than expected when we begun to eat, but it was clear she was still a little miffed about it.

“Well, I wasn’t the one investigating the rooms, since I was supposed to prevent the mastermind from attacking her by surprise. Of course, we both knew it wouldn’t happen, but we each pretended to believe it to fool the other. Still, she told me what she found. Nothing that could help us escape, though maybe there are things like that and she just didn’t report it.”

“Go to the point.” instructed Byakuya.

“Right, right...On the fourth floor, she told me she found a room with a piano, a professor office with potted flowers, a locked steel door supposed to lead to a data center.

More interestingly, we also found the headmaster office. She seemed very intent to enter in it, and asked me to help her break the wooden door. Kyoko was always rather investigative, but when she entered here it looked likes she completely about the escape...hum, or rather, about pretending to trying to escape. She didn’t even told me to go back to guard the stairs and I did it by myself.

Sadly, there was no window we could escape from even here. Oh, and she was consulting some files in the room.”

“What was in these files?” asked Byakuya.

“Huh...I didn’t thought to ask. I figured that she would tell me by herself is there was anything interesting...plus it felt a little personal.”

Plus, she may just have lied about it. Though I guess I could have used her lie against her by checking the files myself.

“Stupid.”

“W-we can still go see it by our-oh. Maybe we can explore the others floors now. I will need to ask Monokuma.”

Would he accept? After, he couldn’t kill someone who did enter a forbidden floor as long as they didn’t have a collar. Still could threaten to kill someone else in retribution though.

It wouldn’t stop Byakuya, but Sakura would. Still, a weak position for him.

Those files probably weren’t that dangerous for Monokuma if he didn’t just destroy them.

And...it would give us access to the room with poison inside. I’d like to just get rid of it, but no way Monokuma would allow it. We could move it to the kitchen though.(said like that, it’s a little strange). He didn’t protest when I put all the weapons in it after all.

The only question was if there was indeed something in these floors that could help us escape.

But even in this case...I already found one.

So I was pretty confident any threat of his part would be a bluff.

“I really don’t know if he will accept.” said Hina.

“Well, he gave us a floor more after each trial, so...maybe he will? It feel like sorta the same thing for me.” said Hiro.

“T-that’s not a valid argument, i-idiot.”

“Haha! Always so harsh on me!”

“Are we ready to ask Monokuma about it? Maybe we should let Makoto finish what he had to say first.” suggested Sayaka.

Yes, it would let me a little more time to think. Should I tell them about the poison? Certainly not if we couldn’t enter the floor; but if we could, then I’d have to prevent entry in the room. And if I did so, anybody would know there is something in this room or floor that could be used for murder.

I decided to skip the poison part until I knew Monokuma’s answer.

“There was also a room with alimentary supplement on this floor, along with the standard toilets and classrooms. That’s all for this floor.”

“Alimentary supplement?” asked Sakura.

“Alimentary supplement!” rejoiced Hina.

Preventing them from entering the room may prove harder than I initially expected.

“Hum, yes, alimentary supplements.” I answered a little nervously.

“On the third floor, she found a recreation room with a billiard, an art room with hammers and sculpting tools in the storage room behind, and a strange machine that Kyoko hypothesised may be a ventilation machine, though it didn’t look like that. There was also a storage room connected , but nothing interesting was in it. And two classrooms, but no toilets.”

“Nothing really interesting, then...” said Sakura.” Should we ask Monokuma for authorisation to investigate those floors?”

“Of course you can!”


	35. Chapter 35

“Nothing really interesting, then...” said Sakura.” Should we ask Monokuma for authorisation to investigate those floors?”

“Of course you can!”

Apparently, Monokuma was listening to us all along.

“It would terribly unfair for me to prevent someone without collar from entering some floors! Well, the really unfair part is that I would have to kill innocent student as blackmail, but that’s why I will allow it. However, restrictions still apply for peoples with a collar.”

“Do that mean you won’t kill innocent in retribution if someone without a collar break a rule? Like, for instance, break material?”

“If anyone ever do that, I will kill peoples until Sakura rip the head of the perpetrator.”

Yeah, as I expected.

“You will...force Sakura to kill by killing innocents?” sweated Asahina.”That’s...!”

“Yup! Ah, it bring back good memories...it will be like the old time, isn’t it true, Sakura?”

The giant didn’t answer. But her body was speaking for her. Her expression was dark and her anger noticeable.

About Monokuma allowing us to investigate, it validated my hypothesis. And maybe he considered it was a lost battle, and that any bluff of his part would be called out, making him looks weak.

Anyway, I had to tell them about the poison now…

OR I could pretend Kyoko didn’t told me there was poison in it. Yes, it looked like a good idea.

“In that case, we should get going.” I said.

“About time that I seen these documents.” declared Byakuya. “You made me lost enough of it already.”

Sayaka tsk-tsked at his words. Honestly, he wasn’t really wrong. I should have asked her.

After convincing Touko to not obey the Byakuya’s order to come with him on the floor “because it would rid the world of her nauseating presence” and trigger her collar, Sakura,Asahina,Byakuya et Mondo ascended the stairs leading to the fourth floor to see the files by themselves.

I suppose it would delay Sakura’s execution of my order. Directive. Whatever.

What to do now? Maybe some more planning?

Could I conceive a plan to fight back against the mastermind with our gun, even with half of us still wearing collars? Just in case.

“Looks like we’re left just between us...” said Sayaka.

“Indeed...and without an objective to reach.” pensively declared Kyotaka.

“Yeah...well honestly, I never really had something to do.” commented Hiro.

“But I’m sure it must be a nice break for Makoto.” smiled Sayaka.

“Do you want to hang out with me?” she asked, her eyelids slightly lowering, her smile widening imperceptibly. But she lost a little of her mirth when she added.”Unless you have something to do, of course. I know you’re working hard.”

“It doesn’t matter whether or not we have a fixed objective! For there is always one! And right now, in the absence of a more...material target, we, and I, should still use this time to strengthen our bonds! Friendship is its own reward!” declared Kyotaka.

I suppose I had nothing else to do.

“Of course, Sayaka! Though I may want to get to know Taka a little better after.”

She smiled back at me.“Sure. It’s expected of you to be so friendly and outgoing.”

“I-I don’t want to be here.” said Touko.”I-I’m going to puke.”

Scratching nervously my cheek, I nodded. I could have asked her if she was sure but the answer was obvious. We escorted her to her room before going back to the dining hall.

Taka seemed eager to just begin socialising right now, but I could feel that Sayaka wanted to have a little time alone with me. I mean, Yasuhiro and Kyotaka were probably not the most convenient partners for a heartfelt conversation, so I could understand that.

“Taka,did you ever talk with Hiro?” I asked.

As expected, he did not.

“Negative! This is why I intend to rectify this.”

“Then why not talk to him on one-to-one? You already talked to me and group conversation aren’t well suited for introduction.” I said ignoring the betrayed look on Hiro’s face.

“Mmh...very true! Come, “Hiro”!We have much to discover about each other?”

The Clairvoyant let out a nervous laugh.“Hahah,uh,can’t I pair with Sayaka first? You know, for...training?..”

He was then promptly forced out of the room by Kyotaka holding his arm and moving him along himself.

Sorry ,Hiro.No way I am letting you go near Sayaka after the prediction you made on my sister if I have any other choice.

And I also want to spare her ears from your predictions.

“Should we go to your room?” I asked.

She nodded, a minuscule pause before her answer. Perhaps she was the tiniest bit nervous about it, despite it not really being her room.

Last time I entered, I was also nervous.

In small part because Sayaka slept here, and in big part because she was plotting a murder, but still.

When we walked toward it, I wondered if Hiro had been kidnapped into Taka’s room or if they were in a classroom.

Her room was as I remembered. I spotted a tape in her bin but said nothing.

“So.” I said, sitting on the bed. “What do you want to talk about? I would be interested in learning more about your career, and...how you feel about your idol’s life.”

I almost said “about your past as an idol” but it may be wrongly interpreted.

“Oh, that…it costed me a lot, and I had to follow very strict rules and schedules. I was always training, meeting fans, and in tour. I always had to keep the act, to show myself at my best, and I almost never took free time or ate what I wanted. And sometime, I had to do things I’m...not really proud of.”

I guessed I should have expected it, considering she was the top Idol of the country, if not the world, but even knowing this...it was surprisingly harsh.

“...but still, I loved it. I loved the attention, the show, the smiles of the fans, the success... and the teamwork with the girls. Really, it was with them that, for the first time...I felt like I really had a family.

At first the relations were strained because not only any of us could totally sabotage the group reputation if we failed, but we were also in competition with each other.

At a time, I know they feared I would gain all the fame and go on the scene by myself.

But I would never have. And I made sure that they were indispensable to our group, to show everyone they weren’t just accessories for my performance.”

As she talked, she began to smile.

“Honestly, I don’t think I could have made it without them. One time, before we really became friend, I almost wanted to give up. But they told me to stay with them, that we formed a good group, and they even got the manager to give me a little more free time.

But even if they failed...knowing that they were ready to help me was all I need.

And thanks to them, I realised my lifelong dream. I’m infinitely grateful to them.”

She had closed her eyes and a small tear discretely left the corner of her eye.

“And now...”

I moved close to her and hugged her from behind.

She sniffed and held back a sob.

“I don’t want them to be hurt...”

She turned around and pressed her head against my chest.

She stopped holding back her tears and sobbed.

I held her and pet her hair after a small moment.

But it didn’t last long. Less than half a minute after, she already stopped crying.

She didn’t break out of my embrace though, letting herself be comforted by me.

It felt really good for me to feel her warmth and support her.

“...but, I know they would have wanted me to help everyone.”

Her smile came back.

“And Monokuma did not bring out any hostage. Even when we tried to escape, he didn’t try to blackmail us with them.” she continued.”So... I believe what you said to me. That he doesn’t really have them as hostages. That he’s bluffing.”

Another possibility would be that they died during the two years, but it would be very inconvenient for the mastermind to attract attention two years before the killing game, and I didn’t want to kill the mood.

“...you told me it was your dream. Since when did you want to become an idol?” I asked.

“I had this dream since a long time. You see, my mother passed away when I was young.

And my father became very depressed when she dide. He wasn’t very present already, but after that, he became workaholic. I think...I think I made him recall mom.

I almost asked her if she resented him for that, but she must have sensed my question because she brought the point by herself.

“He didn’t dislike me. On contrary, he gave me everything I wanted, no matter how much it costed.

When I said that I wanted to become an idol, he immediately paid expensive lessons and clothes for me. But he was never here for me. I was very lonely, and seeing idol’s show helped me a lot. I felt close to them, I felt invested. That’s why I decided I wanted to become one. I wanted to make people smile too.”

So that’s why she said it was the first time she felt like she had a family…

If she privileged staying in good terms with her team over celebrity, she must really had a strong bond with them. If her main motive to become an idol was loneliness, then maybe that staying in the group and feeling like she belong in a family was her true dream, not being the ultimate Pop Idol.

I didn’t ask about the things she wasn’t proud off. It had to be a sensitive topic, and I didn’t need her feeling guilt.

“What about you, Makoto? Did anything interesting happened to you?”

xxx

_The doctor was in a bad mood. He had been woken up in the middle of the night for an emergency. It was the part of his job that he disliked the most. Still, someone had to take care of things like that and he choose this profession to save lives, not to sleep._

“ _What had happened the patient? What is his state?” he asked._

_He was walking at a good speed inside the hospital and speaking to a member of the personnel._

“ _He is unconscious, and his situation seem stable, but we don’t know for sure if he will make it out.” the other man answered._

“ _I know he had an overdose problem of sertraline, but at which concentration? Does the lab sent result yet?”_

“ _No, but his family checked how many pills were left, and it should have been a lot more._

_Fifteen-twenty pills less than expected.”_

“ _This many? There are little case of peoples surviving this. It’s a little surprising his situation isn’t worse if it’s the case. Are we sure he took them all?”_

“ _His family told us he behaved strangely the day before. Overly optimistic and happy. So perhaps he didn’t took all of them the same day?”_

“ _That would explain this. Do his family know anything about previous overuse?”_

“ _They told us that they didn’t check, but that there seemed to be a box of pills more than it should have. He could have bought it himself.”_

“ _Perhaps it isn’t a suicide, then.” considered the doctor. “If he became addict to it, perhaps he unintentionally took too many. His strange behaviour the day before corroborate with this. In this state, he would be overly positive and not consider the risks of taking that many pills at the same time. Unless he took the pills because he was feeling suicidal and that it failed to help him, or perhaps he did it to lessen the fear of death. Has he any psychological background?“_

“ _Well, he had a prescription for anti-depression drug, of course, but his family said it wasn’t really effective long term, and the patient himself acknowledged it was very temporary. He had a psychiatrist assignated to him, and a new one replaced her six month before. He had little friends and almost no hobby. Oh, and one time he almost was crushed by a trolley, apparently because of depression-cause insomnia and lack of focus. His family never told anything about lack of sleep though.”_

“ _I see. I will need to consult a psychiatrist, but his medication need to be changed._

_It need to have lasting and sustainable effects or he may become addicted to it._

_And considering he is probably suicidal, or at least that his depression probably contributed to this incident, I’d say we need something strong. If the previous medication did nothing and that his depression lasted this long, it will be needed. It may alter his personality and emotion, but better that than another suicide attempt. Here, let me see his psychological evaluation.”_

_His interlocutor gave him a sheet of paper._

_The doctor tried to remember his years in psychology school. It wasn’t the career he followed, but he was still a good student and he quite liked this domain._

_But while he was reading, his frowned more and more._

_The psychologist's verdict was reassuring, but it didn’t correspond to the rest of the file. Furthermore, some question boxes were left unchecked, and one of the question had a note written next to it that showed that some others box should have been checked. Manifestly, the psychologist wasn’t fit for his job. And as he did the work himself and tried to evaluate his patient mental health, he felt more and more apprehension when he understood what the situation really was._

_Anti-depressor would not be sufficient. And the more he integrated what he was seeing, the less he thought it was possible or desirable to let the boy’s personality intact._


	36. Chapter 36

“Not really.”I answered.” I’m not special, the only reason I’m here is because of luck...oh! Talking about luck, there was in fact something interesting that happened to me.   
But, it wasn’t really lucky for me personally. It depend on the viewpoint.”  
“Oh? I’m listening.”  
“It happened not long ago...I mean, forgetting the year that we probably forgot, of course.  
It was the day when I received my admission to Hope’s Peak as the Ultimate Lucky Student.  
Long story short, it’s because of this incident that I received this admission.”  
“Wait, really? How it is possible? You got me interested.”  
“Everything started with a paper-rock-scissor with a group of ten friends to know who would get snacks and drinks for the others. I always had a rotten luck, but I thought that with this many peoples I wouldn’t loose. Welp, I was wrong.”  
“And without this loss you would never have won your admission?”  
“Yep!”  
She chuckled.  
“When coming back from the store, the plastics bags randomly tore and everything ended up rolling on the floor. I spent one or two minute collecting them, but I was missing some. One can actually arrived in front of an old man on a bench, and then-you won’t believe what he did-he just took the can of coffee and drank it.”  
“What? He just...stole it in front of you?!”  
“And when I asked him why he did that, he said it felt natural for him to drink it since it ended up in front on him.”  
Sayaka just shook her head, unable to understand this type of behaviour.  
She commented.“If I was the one on this bench, and that it was recorded, the medias would have RIPPED me. It would have been the scandal of the year.“  
I chuckled too.” I’m sure you would have helped me collect the cans and apologised about my bad luck.”  
She smiled. “And maybe I would have helped you find a girlfriend too.”  
“Huhhh...”  
She laughed at my reaction.“Please continue, Makoto. How did you react?”  
“Well, I said to the man that I was having a really bad day despite having done nothing to deserve it, to try to soften him, and he said he didn’t believe in karma, that he’d seen a lot of evil peoples with the devil’s luck and plenty of good folks cursed with misfortune, that luck was out of my control and that I should just accept it.”  
“With peoples like him, it’s a wonder why.” sarcastically said Sayaka.  
“Anyway, he then proceeded, casually, to give me back the half-full can of coffee.”  
“Huh? Why?”  
“The hell if I know! Like, you won, old man, you stole this coffee, I let you keep it, you even got me to listen to your dumb speech, don’t add insult to injury! I don’t want to cooperate in my submission to you gratuitous bullying, I can’t even close the can now, how am I supposed to carry this thing?”  
“Unbelievable.”  
“And what was I going to say to my friend?”Hey, want a little coffee? Why it’s half-full? Oh, nothing, an old man just grabbed it and drank half of it.” No, thank, I was already sufficiently humiliated.”   
After I told him to keep it, he left. But I noticed he forgot his phone on the bench. I called him back, but he didn’t seem to hear me.”  
“The sensible things to do would be to just leave him be after how rude he’s been, but I get the feeling it’s not what you did.”  
“Yeah, exactly, I decided to follow the man and give him his phone back, hoping nobody would imitate him and just grab the drinks while I was away.”  
“Your kindness is unlimited and is sometime hard to differentiate from stupidity, Makoto.”  
“I’ve been told. So, I begun to walk, but at this moment a bus arrived and the old man entered it.  
Panicking, I ran and rushed inside it. I spotted the man, but before I could do anything, my legs gave out from the running and I fell.”  
“...What distance did you ran?”  
“One hundred meter. Don’t laugh at me please. Stop it, or I won’t continue the story. Thank.  
So when I fell, I grabbed something to try and stay standing. And the thing I grabbed...was a bag filled with precious jewellery that I ripped open.”  
“Jewellery?”  
“And as soon as I did that, the average-looking man holding it pulled out a knife and threatened to kill me if the driver tried anything, then coerced the others in gathering the jewels for him.”  
“Okay, I see what you meant by “it wasn’t really lucky for me”. It seem like a really bad day. The worst day, even.”  
“Everyone cooperated while I was being held hostage next to the driver seat. It was almost finished when the old man, who pretended to sleep until this point-what kind of cover is that? The man just yelled that he was going to kill me if the driver didn’t do something!- attacked him!  
Turns out, the man was a kendo master.”  
“What are the odds of that happening?” she asked, a hand on her mouth.  
I continued.“He tackled him, and I tried to help him, but I accidentally ended up accelerating the bus with my foot. We lost our balance, the thief escaped his grasp, the kendo master told me to stop the bus, I did it, and I lost balance again. I accidentally brushed the “open” button, and the thief took the opportunity to escape.   
And then...the old man asked me to chase him and capture him.”  
“Ridiculous. I guess the bus occupants found this really funny.”  
“Nope. They all agreed with him and asked me to chase him.”  
“What. That’s...why couldn’t the driver do it instead? !”  
“He was unconscious. And the kendo master apparently hurt himself by falling when I accelerated, I don’t know how. So...I submitted to peer pressure.”  
“Don’t submit to peer pressure, Makoto!”  
“I knocked over a mailman on his motorcycle when leaving the bus.   
The thieve threatened to, I quote,”Hate me forever” if he ended up arrested, then stole the motorcycle and fled.”  
“I hope it didn’t shook your self-esteem too much to be despised by a criminal, Makoto.”  
“I’d rather not have any more armed enemy than needed. I’m sufficiently unlucky like that.  
Anyway, I was ready to give up when the motorcycle rolled on one of the cans I didn’t retrieve and the thief was ejected out of the motorcycle.   
The police arrived, he was arrested, and it was finally over.”  
“Your life is the opposite of boring, Makoto. But...What did all of this have to do with Hope’s Peak admission? You were selected for your good luck, not your bad luck. Unless...don’t tell me...”  
“Reading mind is more your thing, but if you believe the mailman was carrying the letter of admission for the first selected Lucky Student, you are right. The Academy was immediately alerted, decided that it was proof that the selected student was unlucky, he held the lottery again, and somehow managed to get the result and send the new letter the same day.”  
“And you were selected.” finished Sayaka. “Wow. Your life is very exciting, Makoto.”   
“Usually not. Not as much as yours.”  
“Come on, just admit it was interesting.”  
I gave in.“Okay, it was.”  
We stayed silent a little bit, content to just be in each other proximity.  
“Well, I’d hate to force Hiro to spend more time than necessary with Kyotaka.” I finally said.  
“We’d better go see him and Taka.”  
She nodded.  
“Who do you want to hang out with after?”  
“Hum...I think I’d rather talk with Hiro. He seem funnier, and he will probably be less formal about it than Kyotaka. Plus, I overheard that you already spent some time with him, right?”  
Well, looks like I just have to give in. And it could be useful to get to know everyone anyway.   
I would appear friendlier, more socially adept, it would make peoples more likely to obey and trust me, and the more information I have on my class, the better. Even if it’s just psychological one.   
“Okay. Just, if he propose you a prediction...even a free one...don’t take it. You may regret it afterwards. He managed to get 50.000 euros out of me, for a prediction I would have been better off not hearing at all.”  
Sayaka raised her eyebrow, clearly doubting my mental faculties. But she didn’t know him. This guy managed to get into Hope’s Peak by persuading an academy scout, after all. He was no ordinary conman. I could only hope she wouldn’t learn this the hard way.  
I was ready to leave, but I recalled my privilege. With the precedent I set last time, I kinda have to take this occasion, I suppose. “Oh, and before I forget...” I said.   
But she anticipated my action and kissed me on the lips.  
“...technically I was the one who had the right to do that.”  
“Oh, booh-oo, this is so unfair, I wanted to be the one with the lips in motion.” she said in a mocking voice.  
Okay, this is not how I sound at all.   
“I was just saying that like that!” I protested.  
“Well I was just saying that like that.”  
Okay, I lost, I concede.  
We left the room, and knocked on both Taka’s and Hiro’s doors.   
When we hit the door of the classroom, a loud voice immediately answered “ENTER!”,and we did so.  
“Hello again! I was in the middle of explaining to Hiro the merits of planning each spent hour of the week, two days in advance. I was also giving him “friendly tips” about how never get late and track time without a wristwatch, for it would give the appearance one isn’t focused. That would be inadmissible!”  
Yasuhiro didn’t look particularly thrilled about this friendly conversation/lecture.  
“And...what did you learn from Yasuhiro?” I asked.  
“Hum...”  
If the last time Yasuhiro talked was so distant that he had to think about it, it didn’t bode well.  
“Ha, yes! He talked to me about UFOs and supernatural occurrences. That’s was when I told him that I shared a familial link with the previous prime minister, and he asked if I knew anything about that. I did not, but he explained to me what his...beliefs were. I remain unconvinced, but his list of strange events, inexplicable photos and witness of supernatural is...surprisingly large.”  
“Uh, I guess I learned things too. He know a lot about law and criminal behaviour.  
There was some activities I didn’t even knew were illegal. I will have to be more careful...”  
Careful about not doing these activity...or careful while doing it?  
“And there was even one that I would have sworn was illegal but actually isn’t. I can’t believe I lost an opportunity like that!”  
“Yes, of course. But the most important thing is to follow the spirit of the law and what feel right!”  
“Don’t worry, I feel very alright about it.” said Yasuhiro.  
I don’t know what I expected from a conversation between Hiro and Taka, but it was not the Ultimate Clairvoyant becoming more dangerous.  
“Anyway, who am I hanging out with now?”asked Yasuhiro, watching Sayaka with hope in his eyes.  
“That’s right, it will be with me.” said Sayaka, smiling.  
“Wow! Are you a psychic?” asked Hiro.  
Even I could have guessed this one…Honestly, how could a man so gullible be so good at conning other gullible peoples? Because he has a lot of experience of being scammed?  
I seen a mixture of glee and apprehension on Sayaka’s face, confronted with both the prospect of totally controlling his feeble mind and the knowledge that if she said yes, there was probably not coming back. He may just believe it forever, no matter how much she would swear it was a joke and explain that she just seen him looking expectantly at her.  
She choose to hold back and simply told that “I will explain you later”.  
She left the classroom and Hiro followed her. They went into the corridor and turned toward the dining hall. I returned to the classroom. Time to spend some free time with Taka.


End file.
